ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington University fell to Saint Martin's University in game four of the 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship, 10-0, before being eliminated by Northwest Nazarene in a 2-0 affair.
 
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"We struggled with the bats against Saint Martin's this year," CWU Head Coach Joe DiPietro said. "When we were at Saint Martin's, the hail came and we had a 40-minute delay. Coming out of that Rhaney wasn't the same and it was similar today. She's had some injuries this year and has done the best she could. Coming back from the delay, the flood gates opened and it got away from us. Izzy was good [against NNU[. When she is on like she is, I think she's the best pitcher in the league. Offensively, we had second and third no outs, it was our opportunity to score and we didn't. The girls fought through it today. We just weren't able to push a couple across at the end."
 
GAME ONE | SMU 10, CWU 0
Rhaney Harris (12-12) was perfect through the first four innings, before the Saints (31-18) opened the scoring in the fifth.
 
Two singles in the first three batters set the table for Olivia Schmidt, who tripled to right center for a 2-0 lead. Harris finished the inning with a swinging strikeout and kept the Saints' bats quiet in the sixth inning.
 
The Wildcats (20-27) scattered four hits against Tia Ridings (9-8) and Chloe Leverington (2). Leverington earned her second save of the season, throwing three innings of one-hit relief. She struck out three. Ridings went four innings, allowing three hits. She struck out one and did not surrender a walk.
 
Saint Martin's opened the seventh with a single and a walk. The bases were loaded when Olivia Schmidt was hit by a pitch. The skies opened up with a 2-0 on Destiny Conerly, forcing a 32-minute rain delay. Following the rain delay, Saint Martin's unloaded for eight runs to stake out a 10-0 lead.
 
Makayla Miller relieved Harris after the Saints tallied a walk and four consecutive singles. She allowed one hit and two walks over one inning of work.
 
Leverington struck out a pair in the seventh, finishing the game with a pop up in foul territory.
 
Taylor Kai finished 2-for-2, while Alyssa Benthagen and Makenna King each tallied a hit.
 
GAME TWO | CWU 1, NNU 2
After getting the better of the top-seeded Nighthawks (32-19), the Wildcats fell 2-1 in an elimination game.
 
Isabel Womack (7-10) tossed a one-hitter, but the 'Cats bats stalled and managed just five hits against Tori Hensley (9-4).
 
The Nighthawks' lone hit drove in the first run of the game in the bottom of the first. A single from Ivy Hommel plated Emma Mulligan and gave NNU a 1-0 advantage.
 
Central scattered a few base runners through the first three innings before Mother Nature intervened once more. This time, the stoppage lasted for 81 minutes before the top of the fourth began.
 
Brooke Jordan worked a one-out walk, but was stranded as Hensley forced a pair of fly outs to left.
 
The first two hitters reached for NNU in the bottom of the fourth, advancing to scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Womack then struck out Charlotte Forniss swinging before forcing a pinch hitter to fly out, averting any damage.
 
A lead-off single from Makenna King, followed by a two-strike single from Jillian Hampson put runners on first and second. They advanced to scoring position on passed ball with nobody out. A ground out back to the circle was followed by a swinging strike out. Hensley kept her shutout intact by forcing another ground out, ending the threat.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, a lead-off walk put Kelci Adams on first. She was lifted for Mari Kamemoto, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. She then took third on a passed ball. Mulligan drew a five-pitch walk and stole second, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Womack got the first out on a foul out to Benthagen. Sidney Booth hit a ground ball up the middle, which was snared by Harlee Carpenter, and was retired at first. Kamemoto scored on the play for a 2-0 NNU lead. Mulligan was waved home on the play, but thrown out by Jordan at the plate to end the inning.
 
Jordan reached on a one-out single in the top of the sixth. Benthagen then roped a double on the next pitch, scoring Jordan and cutting the Nighthawks' lead to one.
 
After Womack set the Nighthawks down in order in the sixth, Hensley returned the favor to secure the 2-1 victory.