ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University Softball Team heads to Northwest Nazarene to conclude the regular season.
GAME INFORMATION:
Friday, May 1
Central Washington at Northwest Nazarene
1:00 & 3:00 p.m. PST
Bobby Welch Halle Field
Nampa, Idaho
Saturday, May 2
Central Washington at Northwest Nazarene
11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. PST
Bobby Welch Halle Field
Nampa, Idaho
WATCH:
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LIVE STATS:
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TICKETS:
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QUOTING CWU HEAD SOFTBALL COACH RONNIE LADINES:
"We're starting to find our identity as a team, and I'm excited for the opportunity to face an opponent we've already seen so we can measure how much we've grown."
LAST OUTINGS:
The Wildcats honored their senior
Mia Flores with a tremendous weekend, sweeping Montana State Billings to conclude their home regular season. Flores earned the GNAC Player of the Week due to her efforts.
CWU first earned a walk-off 4-3 victory over the Yellowjackets in game one after knocking in two runs to win it in the bottom of the seventh after being down 3-0 in the fourth inning. Flores began her senior weekend knocking in the game winning run.
McKayla Cable led the 'Cats with three hits while
Kayla Brusseau,
Brooke Baker, Flores,
Jessica Reitz-Eaton, and
Lizzy Turpen all had one hit. Cable, Brusseau, Flores, and Reitz-Eaton all had an RBI.
Kasi Thomas,
Ashlyn Cook,
Melise Brown, and Reitz-Eaton all drew one walk.
Zoey Theophilus pitched all 7.1 innings allowing nine hits, three runs, one walk, and struck out five of 28 batters.
Flores earned her second walk-off of the day with a gigantic double to score
Jenna Markuson and
Izzy Vargas to give the crimson and black the day one sweep with a 6-5 victory and cap a three-run bottom of the seventh to win it. Flores and
Brooke Baker led the 'Cats with two hits each while Thomas, Vargas, Reitz-Eaton, Turpen, and
Joelie Eder all logged one hit. Flores had two RBI while Baker, Vargas, and Turpen all had one RBI. Cable and Flores each drew one walk.
Reese Anderson pitched the final four innings allowing two hits, no runs, one walk, and earned a strikeout against 15 batters.
The Wildcats started day two with a bang, run ruling the Yellowjackets in five innings by a 13-3 score. Cable led the 'Cats with four hits while Thomas and Flores each added three with Flores hitting her first home run of the season. Six other 'Cats logged one hit. Thomas and Flores had three RBI while Vargas had two and Baker and Anderson both added one. Brusseau, Baker, and Reitz-Eaton all drew one walk. Theophilus pitched all five innings allowing seven hits, three runs, and one walk while striking out two of 23 batters.
CWU wrapped up the series with a thrilling 10-9 nine inning victory. The 'Cats battled from a 6-0 deficit to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at nine and send it to extras before Brown hit a hard ball at the second baseman who had trouble fielding the ball to score Reitz-Eaton and win in the ninth inning. Baker, Flores, and Reitz-Eaton all had two hits to lead the 'Cats while Cable, Thomas, Brusseau, Vargas, and Brown all had one hit. Baker and Flores each had two RBI while Cook, Eder, and Brown all logged one. Thomas, Baker, Flores, Reitz-Eaton, and Brown all drew one walk. Theophilus pitched the final three innings allowing two hits, no runs, and one walk against 12 batters.
SCOUTING THE NIGHTHAWKS:
Northwest Nazarene is 30-17 on the season with an 11-9 GNAC record. CWU and NNU met for one game in Nampa as a part of the Nighthawks Invitational where the Nighthawks snuck away with a 6-4 victory. NNU then traveled to Ellensburg for a nonconference series with the Wildcats at the beginning of March where they took three of four against CWU. The Nighthawks began GNAC play with a 1-3 weekend at Saint Martin's before heading home where they earned a weekend split against Simon Fraser for their only two home losses on the season so far. They went back on the road to begin April earning a weekend split in Bellingham at Western Washington. They then traveled to Montana State Billings where they suffered a weekend split losing both first games by scores of 2-1 and 9-7 before bouncing back for tremendous game twos by scores of 16-2 and 22-7. They then earned a crucial home sweep over Western Oregon last weekend. They swept the Wolves on day one by scores of 10-2 and 4-1 and followed it up on day two with scores of 4-2 and 6-4.
The Nighthawks have four players who are currently batting over .300. Ava Clark leads the charge with a .375 batting average while Emma Bumatay (.366), KK Bell (.365), and Jami Obringer (.360) aren't far behind. Bell has logged the most hits this season with 54 and has added a team-high 12 doubles in the process. Clark has four triples to lead the Nighthawks while Bumatay has drilled the most homers with 11 to pair with her team-high 49 RBI. Clark has drawn 40 walks and is 30 of 33 on stolen base attempts. Obringer leads the stolen base charge however, going a perfect 36 for 36 with Riglee Peterson also a perfect 16 for 16 on the season.
Miah Lusk and Riley McGee have made a dynamic duo for the Nighthawks pitching this season. Luks leads the way owning a 2.64 ERA, a 14-7 record, three shutouts, two saves, and 10 complete games in 30 appearances with 22 starts. She's pitched a total of 119.1 innings allowing 85 hits, 56 runs with 45 being earned, 64 walks, and has struck out 148 of 431 batters. McGee is also having a standout year with a 3.28 ERA, a 9-5 record, three complete games, and one shutout in 21 appearances with 19 starts. She's pitched 79 innings allowing 86 hits, 51 runs with 37 earned, 28 walks, and has struck out 33 of 324 batters.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats have some work to do, but they have a chance to still make the four team GNAC Tournament on the 'Cats home field in Ellensburg. CWU needs a sweep on the weekend at NNU and Western Oregon to not sweep Western Washington. If the 'Cats can do that then they will turn their attention to the GNAC Tournament on Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field in Ellensburg Thursday, May 7 through Saturday, May 9.
