BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A trademark performance by three-time GNAC Pitcher of the Year Sidney Booth and a burst of energy from sophomore Jami Obringer propelled No. 13 Northwest Nazarene to a 1-0 triumph over Central Washington on the opening day of the 2024 GNAC Softball Championships at Viking Field.
NNU’s left-hander out-dueled CWU senior Ashlee Laver, as both aces went the distance in the one-run ballgame. Booth completed her 32nd career shutout which ranks third in GNAC history, and earned her 78th career victory to move into a tie for third on the all-time GNAC list. The shutout was the fourth of Booth’s career in the GNAC Championships. “It was a pitching duel. She (Laver) is really good on Central’s side, and obviously we have Sid which keeps us in a lot of games consistently,” said NNU head coach Rich Wagner. “We just had to grind it out offensively, and Sid is pretty amazing. She does a great job of giving us a chance every single game to win. For her to come out her senior year and have a performance like this was awesome, and she is one of the greatest competitors I have ever coached.”
Booth’s signature performance in the circle was bolstered by an enthralling trip around the bases by Obringer, as the Nighthawk right-fielder manufactured the game’s only run. Leading off the bottom of the fifth inning with a line-drive single into right-center, Obringer promptly stole her 17th bag of the year to advance into scoring position. She read an ensuing ground out to third base perfectly, timing her scamper well and sliding into third just ahead of a return throw across the diamond.
With one out, senior Emma Mulligan lifted a shallow fly ball to right field that appeared to be a risky chance to send the runner home from third. Obringer broke for the plate however, and slid home past a high throw to put the Nighthawks ahead 1-0. “I just trust in everyone to get me over, and I trust in our coaches and their decisions,” Obringer said on her determination to round the bases. “I just think about my team and try to do everything for them. We have a great culture and it has been so fun this season.”
Northwest Nazarene (38-8) advances to a 10 a.m. (PT) first pitch Round 2 game on Friday against Western Washington (40-7), which defeated Saint Martin’s 4-1 in the opening game of the tournament earlier on Thursday. “We were getting to the point where we only had a handful of chances to score, and I had already questioned myself on a couple situations,” Wagner said on his decisive green light for Obringer. “Central is a really good team, and they are really athletic. We needed to get some rhythm, and I’m just grateful we had the opportunity to push that run across. I had no doubt I was sending her.”
The run spoiled an otherwise masterful performance from Laver, who was handed a tough loss despite allowing just six hits, zero walks and striking out two across her six stellar innings of work. Central Washington fell to 17-29 with the defeat, and will take on Saint Martin’s (25-19) in an elimination game on Friday at 12:30 (PT).
The Nighthawks nearly pulled ahead in the bottom of the first inning, after Clarissa Moreno laced a one-out double into right field. Abigail Gagnon followed with a line drive that hooked towards the left-field corner, but CWU’s Karsyn Decker made an extraordinary running snag to keep the score at 0-0. “We had a couple of shots with runners in scoring position, but just didn’t come up with it,” Wagner said. “We pushed the envelope on that sacrifice fly to get Jami in, and I believed that Jami would get a good slide. We want to press offensively and make other teams have to make plays. Jami did a great job.”
Booth’s shutout was not without tribulation, as she battled through four walks and had to dig deep to keep the Wildcats off the scoreboard. Her biggest test came in the top of the fifth, when CWU loaded the bases with two outs. Second-place hitter Jillian Hampson worked a 2-2 count and fouled off two pitches, before Booth brought a roar from the NNU dugout with an inning-ending strikeout to strand the bases full.
The Wildcats left a total of seven runners on base in the ballgame, with Booth’s defense mostly dazzling behind her. Catcher Kellcie Adams gunned down a would-be base stealer to end the top of the second, and Mulligan displayed expert footwork around the second-base bag as she took a ground ball herself and fired to first for an inning-ending double play in the fourth.
After retiring the side in the sixth, Booth faced one final test as a leadoff single by Serena Perez and a sacrifice bunt put the tying run in scoring position in the top of the seventh. On Booth’s 120th pitch of the afternoon Mulligan made a dashing catch down the right-field line to officially seal the shutout. “It was super fun,” Obringer said regarding the on-field atmosphere. “She (Sidney) is a great player and teammate, and I’m always in the outfield cheering her on.”
In addition to providing the game’s lone RBI, Mulligan had seven defensive plays at second base behind the Nighthawks’ ace. Booth finished the game with seven strikeouts, bringing her GNAC-leading season total to 169 and her GNAC-leading career total to 774.
Laney Kaysner had two of CWU’s three hits in the game, while rightfielder Kate Hopkins had four catches and Decker made three catches in left. Laver’s complete game was the 35th of her career and her 18th this season.
TOURNEY TALK: NNU and CWU have now met five times at the conference tournament, with CWU holding a 3-2 advantage…the Wildcats are looking for their second conference tournament title, after claiming the crown in 2016…the Nighthawks are in pursuit of becoming the first-ever GNAC team to win three straight conference tournaments, after winning the event in 2018, 2022 and 2023…NNU moved within one victory of its program single-season record of 39, which it set during the 2023 campaign.
