ELLENSBURG, Wash. – After a pair of comeback wins on Friday, Central Washington University softball dropped both games to Northwest Nazarene University, 6-3 and 6-2.
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"Little disappointed today," CWU Head Coach
Joe DiPietro said. "I thought after coming back in both games yesterday and having momentum on our side we would have come out with a little more energy. From the pitching end, the walks and the home runs really cost us today. On the other end, we have to help our pitchers out when we have runners in scoring position."
GAME ONE | NNU 6, CWU 3
A three-run first inning gave the Nighthawks (12-8) a bit of breathing room. Sidney Booth (7-3) went the distance for NNU.
Ashlee Laver (1-3) was charged with the loss for the Wildcats (6-9).
Laver allowed six runs, all earned, on 12 hits and two walks.
Makayla Miller tossed two innings of shutout relief. Booth went the distance for the Nighthawks. She allowed three runs, seven hits, two walks, and struck out six.
An RBI triple in the first inning gave NNU a 1-0 lead after the lead-off hit reached. Booth followed the triple with a two-run blast for a 3-0 advantage. Laver retired the next three hitters to quell the Nighthawks' offense.
Central pushed across their first run in the fourth. A throwing error allowed
Cady Wilton to score from third.
The Nighthawks tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth inning; one run scored on an RBI double and the other on an RBI single.
Trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth,
Alyssa Benthagen laced a two-run double to cut NNU's lead to 5-3. A sacrifice fly from the Nighthawks in the sixth added another insurance run, however.
Central managed a pair of base runners in the bottom of the seventh inning, bringing the tying run to the plate with two outs.
Myiah Seaton wore a pitch, before
Brooke Jordan worked a walk. Seaton stole third, but Booth worked out of the jam to secure the victory.
Jordan finished 3-for-3, while Benthagen was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in.
GAME TWO | NNU 6, CWU 2
The Nighthawks needed just one inning of offense in the final game of the series. A six-run second inning lift NNU over CWU.
Isabel Womack (3-1) lasted just 1.2 innings. She allowed six earned runs on three hits and six walks.
Rhaney Harris threw 5.1 innings of scoreless relief. Charlotte Forniss went the distance for NNU. She allowed two runs on five hits.
Central scored the game's first run. Benthagen drove in
Allie Thiessen in the bottom of the first for an early 1-0 lead.
Forniss led off the second inning with a solo home run to straight away center, tying the game at 1-1. Abigail Gagnon then singled to center and took second on the play. A single advanced to her to third, but she scored on a fielding error to take a 2-1 lead. After a fly out, a walk to Ivy Hommel loaded the bases. The Wildcats rolled a ground ball and cut down the runner at the plate for the inning's second out. Back-to-back walks forced in a pair of runs, before a single from Forniss went through the right side to score a pair.
After being held scoreless in the second and third innings, the Wildcats scratched across a run in the fourth. A sacrifice fly from
Ashtyn Falor brought the score to 6-2.
Central went down in order in the fifth. Seaton notched a lead-off single in the sixth, but was left stranded. In the seventh,
Makenna King led off with a single but was doubled off on a line drive.
Seaton finished 3-for-3 at the plate.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats host Montana State University Billings in a four-game series to open GNAC play. First pitch is scheduled for noon on both Friday and Saturday.
