BILLINGS, Mont. – The Central Washington University softball team (6-6, 2-0 GNAC) took both ends of its doubleheader at Montana State University Billings (3-11, 0-2 GNAC).
Sasha Mitchell hit her first career homerun in game one.
QUOTABLE
"Not our best day in the circle or on defense," CWU Head Coach
Alison Mitchell said. "But our bats came alive and we made some solid adjustments at the plate. Our relief pitchers were solid today and helped keep us in it."
GAME ONE | CWU 6, MSUB 5
Samantha Stanfield (1-1) earned the win in the circle. She tossed 5.1 innings of work, striking out four, and allowed just three runs on four hits.
The scoring kicked off with a solo homerun for Billings in the bottom of the second. Wasting no time, the Crimson and Black responded in the top of the third. A single to center from
Allie Thiessen brought around the tying run.
Theresa Moyle then drove around Thiessen, taking a 2-1 advantage.
Alyssa Benthagen followed suit with a single of her own to bring around a pair of runs and give CWU a 4-1 lead.
Mitchell took the first pitch she saw in the top of the fourth inning over the wall in center field for her first collegiate hit, homerun, and RBI.
In the sixth inning,
Alee Cruz brought around
Sydney Brown with a single down the left field line for a 6-1 advantage.
A two-run homerun for the 'Jackets in the bottom of the sixth cut the difference to 6-3, before an RBI-single made it just a two-run game at 6-4. A solo homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning made it 6-5, but
Rhaney Harris slammed the door for her first save of the season.
Harlee Carpenter finished with three hits, while Moyle notched two. Central had seven players record hits and five record at least one run batted in.
GAME TWO | CWU 7, MSUB 5
Lexie Strasser came on for 3.1 innings of relief. She allowed one unearned run and rolled seven ground ball outs.
Ashlee Laver (1-1) recorded her first win of the season, coming out of the bullpen and tossing 1.1 innings of shutout relief.
Central scored the first run of the game in the opening frame. An error allowed Carpenter to score for a 1-0 lead. The 'Jackets responded in kind, scoring one in the bottom of the first.
Gracee Dwyer broke the deadlock in the second, swatting her first big fly of the season on a 1-1 offering. Thiessen later hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Mitchell, for a 3-1 edge.
Moyle laced her first round-tripper of the season in the top of the third, a solo blast, to give the Wildcats a 4-1 lead. She wasn't done, either.
After Billings tied the game with a two-run double and a sacrifice fly in the third, Moyle came up in the fifth with Thiessen on base. She took a 2-2 pitch into the right center gap for an RBI double and a 5-4 lead. An error in the sixth, however, gave Billings the tying run.
Myiah Seaton put the Wildcats ahead in the top of the seventh, driving around Moyle with a single, sending the first pitch she saw back from whence it came. A bases loaded fielder's choice from Mitchell brought around an insurance marker, putting CWU ahead 7-5. Laver finished off the 'Jackets in the seventh to take the backend of the doubleheader.
UP NEXT
Central and Billings square-off again tomorrow (Mar. 21) in a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. PT.
