Wednesday, February 26, 2020

CAVALIERS, WILDCATS PREVAIL IN QUIET WEEK: Concordia and Central Washington made the most of a quiet week in the GNAC, sweeping a pair of non-conference doubleheaders in commanding fashion.

The Cavaliers swept a doubleheader from Northwest Christian last Wednesday, taking the opener 8-0 in five innings and the nightcap 5-4. Concordia closed out the opener with a four-run fifth inning while senior Sally Bowles threw a five-hit shutout to earn her fifth win of the season and GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors.

Senior Karley Yoshioka earned the GNAC’s Softball Player of the Week award for the second straight after she went 4 for 5 with four runs, two doubles and two RBI to lead Concordia in the sweep.

Central Washington made a late addition to the schedule and proceeded to clobber in-state Division III rival Pacific Lutheran on Saturday. The Wildcats clobbered the Lutes 20-7 in six innings in game one, punctuating the game with a 13-run sixth inning that included seven hits and four home runs. It was a closer affair in game two with CWU receiving home runs from Alicia Bannan and Gracee Dwyer in the sixth for a 5-4 come-from-behind victory.

Montana State Billings headed east and went 1-3 at the Air Supported Dome Invitational in Minot, N.D. The Yellowjackets picked up an 8-5 win over Minnesota-Crookston on Sunday.

Simon Fraser and Western Washington will open conference play this weekend with a four-game series. Weather is already a factor, moving Saturday’s scheduled games in Bellingham to Friday. The two teams will meet in Burnaby on Sunday.

Concordia heads south for a trio of twinbills against San Diego Christian, Cal State San Marcos and Biola. Western Oregon will be in Florida for six games at the PFX Athletics Tournament.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Karley Yoshioka, Concordia
IF • 5-2 • Senior • Honolulu, Hawaii

Yoshioka repeats as the Player of the Week after she went 4 for 5 with four runs, two doubles and two RBI in Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of Northwest Christian. Yoshioka went 2 for 2 with one RBI on a first-inning double that opened scoring in the 8-0, first game win. She then went 2 for 3 in the nightcap, including a two-run double in the first and an RBI single in the fourth.

Also Nominated: Mikayla Kopacz (Central Washington).

PITCHER
Sally Bowles, Concordia
P • 5-9 •  Senior • Atascadero, Calif.

Bowles was the winner in the Cavaliers’ 8-0, five-inning shutout of Northwest Christian in the first game with the Beacons on Wednesday. She allowed five hits and one walk while striking out one. She needed just 67 pitches for the win, 47 of which were for strikes.

Also Nominated: Samantha Stanfield (Central Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• In a late addition to the schedule, Central Washington cruised to a doubleheader sweep at Division III Pacific Lutheran on Saturday, 20-7 and 5-4.

• The Wildcats hammered out 13 runs on seven hits in the sixth inning of the opener, including five home runs. The hit parade was led by a three-run homer by junior Maddy Zerr.

• Junior Alicia Bannan went 4 for 6 in the twinbill to lead the Wildcats. She went  2 for 2 in the opener and went 2 for 4 in the nightcap, including a solo home run in the sixth that opened a four-run comeback frame. Bannan has a .368 batting average.

• Freshman Alyssa Benthagen went 3 for 7 in the two games. She went 2 for 4 in the opener, hitting a solo home run in the fifth and a two-run double in the sixth. She followed up by going 1 for 3 in the nightcap. Benthagen has a .326 batting average and has started 15 of 16 games as a freshman.

• Sophomore Samantha Stanfield and sophomore Isabel Womack earned the pitching wins. Stanfield earned her fifth win of the season in game one, allowing two runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts in four innings. Womack earned the second game win in relief, allowing one unearned run with two walks and a strikeout in two innings.

• Central Washington enters the week with a .276 batting average and  5.30 earned run average. The Wildcats are tied for fourth in Division II with 12 home runs and is 20th with 49 walks.

• The Wildcats do not play again until Saturday, March 7, opening their GNAC schedule with a doubleheader against Concordia.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia made the most of a doubleheader sweep over Northwest Christian last Wednesday, taking 8-0 (5 inn.) and 7-3 wins in the Cavaliers’ home opener.

• Senior Karley Yoshioka was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. She went 4 for 5 with four runs, two doubles and two RBI in Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of Northwest Christian. Yoshioka went 2 for 2 with one RBI on a first-inning double that opened scoring in the 8-0, first game win. She then went 2 for 3 in the nightcap, including a two-run double in the first and an RBI single in the fourth. Yoshioka is sixth in the GNAC with a .426 batting average.

• Senior Sally Bowles earned GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors for her win in the opener. She allowed five hits and one walk while striking out one to collect her fifth win of the season. Bowles is third in the GNAC with a 2.49 earned run average and shares the conference lead with 45 innings pitched.

• Junior Kennedy Jantzi went 4 for 6 in the twinbill with two doubles and three RBI. She went 2 for 2 in the opener with an RBI double in the third and an RBI single in the fifth. Jantzi then went 2 for 4 in game two with an RBI double in the fourth. Jantzi owns a .370 batting average in 12 games.

• Concordia leads the GNAC and is ninth in Division II with a .352 batting average and is second in the conference with a 3.61 earned run average. The Cavaliers also lead the GNAC and rank seventh in Division II with a .576 slugging percentage and 11th with a .439 on-base percentage.

• The Cavaliers head for Southern California this weekend for doubleheaders with San Diego Christian on Thursday, Cal State San Marcos on Friday and Biola on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went 1-3 at the Air Supported Dome Invitational in Minot, N.D. The Yellowjackets’ win was an 8-5 defeat of Minnesota-Crookston on Sunday.

• Sophomore Skyler Jenkins led MSUB with a .600 average in three games, going 6 for 10 with a run and an RBI. Jenkins went 1 for 3 in a loss to Minot State on Saturday, went 3 for 4 with an RBI against Minnesota-Crookston and went 2 for 3 in Sunday’s loss to Mary. Jenkins leads the Yellowjackets with a .467 batting average in 12 games.

• Sophomore Morgan Quimby batted .357 in the four games, going 5 for 14 with two runs and two doubles. Her one hit against Northern State on Saturday was an RBI double in the third. She then went 4 for 4 with a double and a run scored against Minnesota-Crookston. Quimby is batting .349 and leads the GNAC with seven doubles.

• Sophomore Alyssa Etheridge earned the lone pitching win of the week for MSUB. Against Minnesota-Crookston, she allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in six innings. Etheridge enters the week with a 4.94 earned run average.

• The Yellowjackets own a .278 batting average and a 4.75 earned run average. They rank 24th in Division II with 12 home runs.

• Montana State Billings does not play again until March 2 and 3, opening the team’s home schedule with a pair of doubleheaders against Carroll (Mont.).

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene did not play last week. The Nighthawks will play their next counting game on Friday, March 6 when they open conference play at Western Washington.

• Northwest Nazarene finished with a 3-2 record at the Courtyard Classic, collecting an 11-3, five-inning win over Notre Dame de Namur on Thursday, on Feb. 6-8. The Nighthawks earned an 11-5 win over Hawaii Hilo on Friday and an 11-0, five-inning win over Fort Lewis on Saturday. The Nighthawks also played a doubleheader against Dixie State on Feb. 10, falling 9-0 and 5-1.

• Senior Brittany Genuardi hit .571 in the Courtyard Classic, going 8 for 14 with seven runs, seven RBI, two doubles, a home run and four walks. Genuardi had single hits in the first three games before going 2 for 3 with an RBI double in Saturday’s loss to MSU Denver. She then went 3 for 3 with a two-run double and a grand slam against Fort Lewis. Genuardi is second in the GNAC with a .516 batting average. She is third in the GNAC with 15 RBI.

• Freshman Emma Mulligan batted .500 in the seven games, going 6 for 18 with 10 runs, four doubles, four RBI and a home run. All six hits came in the first three games of the tournament, going 2 for 4 with two doubles against Cal State Dominguez Hills, 2 for 2 with a double and two runs against Notre Dame de Namur. Mulligan has a .316 season batting average and is tied for 24th in Division II with six doubles.

• Junior Tori Hensley made four starts in the pitching circle, going 2 for 2. She earned the win against Hawaii Hilo by allowing three runs, one earned, on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts in four innings. She allowed just four hits in four innings for the win over Fort Lewis, striking out two.

• The Nighthawks enter the week ranked second in the GNAC with a .329 batting average and are third with a 4.16 earned run average. They also rank 11th in Division II in scoring 7.75 runs per game and are tied for fourth nationally with 19 home runs.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s did not play week and do not play again until opening conference play on Saturday, Mar. 7 against Western Oregon in Lacey.

• Saint Martin’s went 1-3 in their last action on a road trip to Southern California. The Saints split on Feb. 14 with Azusa Pacific, losing the opener 2-1 before taking the nightcap 8-0. The Saints dropped both games at Concordia Irvine on Feb. 15, 14-3 (5 inn.) and 6-0.

• Senior Regan Byrd led the Saints’ offense with a .400 batting average, going 4 for 10. All her offense came in the Azusa Pacific games, going 2 for 4 in the opener and 2 for 3 with an RBI single in the second game. Byrd has with a .385 batting average.

• Sophomore Kylee Vanderbout batted .333 in the four games, going 4 for 12 with a home run and three RBI. She had a hit in each of the four games and had all three RBI in Friday’s second game with Azusa Pacific on a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer. Vanderbout is averaging .370 with a .741 slugging percentage. She is tied for 27thh in Division II with 0.33 home runs per game.

• Freshman Abby Runyon picked up the pitching win for Saint Martin’s at  Azusa Pacific, allowing eight hits and three walks in the five-inning shutout. She threw 8.1 innings on the road trip, allowing three runs on 14 hits. Senior Brandi Schoessler took two losses on the trip and had a 1.85 earned run average, allowing seven runs, three earned, on 16 hits in 11.1 innings. Schoessler leads the GNAC with a 1.66 earned run average.

• Saint Martin’s has a .304 batting average and 4.54 earned run average. The Saints are tied for second in the GNAC with 21 stolen bases and rank 18th in Division II with 2.33 stolen bases per game.

SIMON FRASER
• After not playing last weekend, Simon Fraser will open GNAC play with a four-game series against Western Washington in Bellingham on Friday and on Burnaby Mountain on Sunday.

• Simon Fraser went 3-2 at the D2 Cactus Classic in Tucson, Arizona, Feb. 14-16. After losing their first two games, the Clan scored a 5-2 win over St. Mary’s (Texas), a 2-1 win over Texas-Permian Basin and a 5-4 win over West Texas A&M.

• Sophomore Anissa Zacharczuk earned a pair of complete-game wins on Feb. 15, allowing 2 runs on six hits with two strikeouts against St. Mary’s (Texas) and allowing one run on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts to beat Texas-Permian Basin. Zacharczuk closed out the week by allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts in a 5-4 win over West Texas A&M on Feb. 16. Zacharczuk is fourth in the GNAC with a 2.82 earned run average.

• Junior Alex Ogg paced the Simon Fraser offense with a .500 batting average, going 10 for 20 with six runs, a triple and three RBI. Ogg went 3 for 5 with three runs scored in a 12-9 loss to Western New Mexico, went 3 for 4 with two more runs against Texas-Permian Basin and closed the tourney by going 2 for 3 with a three-run triple against West Texas A&M. Ogg leads the GNAC and ranks eighth in Division II with a .615 batting average.

• Simon Fraser enters the week with a .302 batting average and 4.48 earned run average. The Clan is 14th in Division II in scoring with 7.70 runs per game and 21st with a .519 slugging percentage.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon did not play last weekend. The Wolves will head to Clermont, Florida this weekend for the PFX Athletics Tournament and games against Concordia (N.Y.) and Saint Rose on Friday, Saint Anselm and Davenport on Saturday and Wilmington and Adelphi on Sunday.

• Western Oregon also went 3-2 at the D2 Cactus Classic, Feb. 14-16. The Wolves opened with a big 11-3, six-inning win over No. 2 ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville on Feb. 14. They also scored a 4-2 win over California (Pa.) and an 8-3 win over Southern Nazarene.

• Junior Ayanna Arceneaux led Western Oregon offensively with a .500 batting average, going 9 for 18 with six runs, a double, two triples and two RBI. She went 2 for 3 with two runs against Texas A&M-Kingsville and went 2 for 2 with a two-run triple in Saturday’s loss to West Texas A&M. Arceneaux then went 3 for 4 against Southern Nazarene and ended the tournament by going 2 for 4 in Sunday’s loss to Dixie State. Arceneaux is fifth in the GNAC with a .465 batting average. Arceneaux was also one of 50 players named to the NFCA’s Division II Player of the Year Watch List.

• Returning to her home state, sophomore Reilly Tidwell earned two of three pitching wins for the Wolves. She went five innings to earn the win over California (Pa.), allowing two runs on three hits and five walks. She then went 4.1 innings for the win over Southern Nazarene, allowing three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts.

• Western Oregon is third in the GNAC with a .327 batting average to go with a 5.39 earned run average. They lead the GNAC and rank 19th in Division II with a .978 fielding percentage.

• Western Oregon was among teams receiving votes in this week’s NFCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll for the second straight week.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington did not play last weekend. The Vikings will open up GNAC play this weekend with a four-game series against Simon Fraser in Bellingham on Friday and in Burnaby on Sunday.

• Western Washington procured a split in its season-opening home doubleheader with British Columbia on Feb. 14. The Vikings dropped the opener 4-1 before taking the 4-0 victory in the nightcap.

• Junior Lauren Lo led the Vikings by going 3 for 6 in the twinbill. She went 2 for 3 and had the team’s lone RBI in the opener on a single to left field in the fifth. She finished by going 1 for 3 in the second game. Lo enters the week with a .389 batting average.

• Senior Jackie Lucido also went 3 for 6 in the two games. She did most of her damage in the second game, going 2 for 3 with. Lucido has a .267 batting average in 11 games.

• Junior Anna Kasner earned the pitching win in the second game to improve to 4-3 on the season. She allowed just six hits and three walks while striking out nine. Offensively, Kasner also contributed a two-run single in the third. Kasner is second in the GNAC with a 1.71 earned run average and is fourth in Division II with 61 strikeouts.

• Western Washington enters the week with a .256 batting average and leads the conference with a 2.52 earned run average. The Vikings are 18th in Division II with three shutouts.