Thursday, May 2, 2013

BILLINGS, Mont. –  Sam Munger tossed a three-hit shutout and second baseman Lacey McGladrey drove in four runs as top-seed Saint Martin’s defeated Central Washington 8-0 in the opening round of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Softball Championships at Bjorgum Field Thursday.

The Saints (37-13) now advance to Friday’s 10 a.m. winner’s bracket game against third-seed Simon Fraser (28-21) which defeated No. 2 seed Western Oregon 3-2 in Thursday’s opening game.

Central Washington (19-19) will face the Wolves (27-25) in a loser-out game at 12:30 p.m.

Munger, the GNAC Pitcher of the Year, improved to 21-6 with the victory surviving a bit of a shaky start.

She loaded the bases in the first inning walking two batters and hitting another.  She then gave up a leadoff double to CWU shortstop Andrea Hamada to begin the second.

"I started off rough," Munger said.  "But, then towards the middle I started to settle in."

Hamada had two of CWU’s three hits, including a double and a single.  Wildcat center fielder Michaela Hazlett also had a double.

The Saints took control in the second inning scoring three runs, including two on a single by McGladrey.  McGladrey drove in two more runs in the fifth with a home run. 

Catcher Aubree Pocklington drove in three runs, two with a third-inning home run.  "I had two strikes on me so I had to protect the plate and she (CWU pitcher Maria Gau) just left the ball a little too much over the plate," Pocklington said.

Pocklington later ended the game in the sixth on the eight-run rule with a RBI single.

That was her third hit of the game.  McGladrey, Munger and first baseman Joslyn Eugenio had two each.  Munger extended her hitting streak to 19 games with her two hits.  Her streak is the third longest in GNAC history.

Simon Fraser 3, Western Oregon 2

Centerfielder Trisha Bouchard doubled for a pair of unearned runs in the first inning and catcher Kaitlyn Cameron homered in the sixth to power Simon Fraser to a 3-2 win over Western Oregon

The Clan jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning off WOU ace Hannah Pomeroy and never trailed as Lauren Mew was hit by a pitch and Cameron reached on an error.  After a ground out,  Bouchard doubled for two runs.

Western Oregon got a run back in its half of the first on a ground out by Jourdan Williams, but managed just two hits in four innings off winning pitcher Cara Lukawesky, who improved to 10-11.

Cameron  homered to left to lead off the sixth to give SFU a 3-1 lead. 

"I just took a good swing at it," Cameron said.  "I'd been struggling all day so it was good to get a hit."

The Wolves countered with a run in their half of the inning on a ground out by Desiree Villegas, but that was all they could get off reliever Kelsie Hawkins, who earned a save, pitching the final three innings.

"It was all about two innings," Simon Fraser coach Mike Renney said. "We pitched well and we scored some runs, but it was tight at the end."

WOU ended up outhitting SFU 6-5 as centerfielder Amanda Evola had two hits.  She was the only player with more than one safety in the contest.  Pomeroy (14-8) didn't walk a batter and struck out four in taking the loss.