ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University softball team split its doubleheader finale with Western Washington University, 4-1 and 5-1.
QUOTABLE
"We had another solid day in the circle," CWU Head Coach
Alison Mitchell said. "But had a defensive hiccup in the second game at the wrong time. We were barreling balls up and making great contact, so I'm feeling good moving to the tournament."
GAME ONE | Central Washington 4, Western Washington 1
Samantha Stanfield (6-4) earned her sixth save of the season, while
Lexie Strasser notched her second save.
Sydney Brown drove in a pair of runs in the victory.
After the Wildcats went down in order in the top of the first,
Alycia Bannan led off the second witih a single to center. She advanced to second on wild pitch, before moving over to third on a two-out single from
Myiah Seaton. Seaton advanced to second on the throw from the outfield, putting runners on second and third. Brown took advantage of the runners in scoring position, taking the first pitch she saw to center to drive in the pair.
The Vikings put runners on the corners in the bottom half of the inning, but Stanfield forced a grounder out to end the inning. They struck for their only run in the bottom of the third. A lead-off single was parlayed into a runner in scoring position with a stolen base. After back-to-back ground outs, Tatum Dow singled to put runners on the corners. Brook Fesenbek then followed with a single to right, scoring one. Stanfield rolled another ground ball to avoid any additional damage.
A lead-off walk in the top of the fourth was followed by a hit by pitch, putting two aboard to start the inning.
Alyssa Benthagen moved both everyone into scoring position with a productive fly out. With two outs, Brown reached on an error, allowing both
Gracee Dwyer and
Keegan Wise to score for a 4-1 lead.
Alee Cruz and
Myiah Seaton each recorded a pair of hits in the win.
GAME TWO | Western Washington 5, Central Washington 1
The Vikings got the better of the 'Cats in game two.
An RBI-double from Riley Wales in the bottom of the second inning opened the scoring. Western struck again in the third, plating two on a triple from Tori McDowell. Wales followed with her second RBI-double of the contest for a 4-0 lead. A sacrifice fly in the fifth from Wales made it 5-0 in favor of the Vikings.
Central's only run came in the top of the sixth.
Allie Thiessen led off the inning with a single, before moving to third on a pair of ground outs. A single from Bannan brought Thiessen in to score, but Anna Kasner (10-3) avoided additional damage.
Bannan finished with a pair of hits, while Thiessen, Moyle, and Brown each registered one hit.
GNAC CHAMPIONSHIP
With the split this weekend, Central Washington has clinched the number two seed in the GNAC Championship. They will take on Western Washington University in the opening round. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon.
To protect the health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and support staff, spectators are not permitted at the GNAC Championships. Live stats and video links are available at GNACSports.com.
