Saturday, March 24, 2012

Western Oregon coach Pam Knox had the right idea.

Three times previously, Knox ordered an intentional walk to Montana State Billings slugger Meg Harasymczuk - twice leading off an inning.

But with the bases loaded and WOU holding on to a slip 10-9 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Knox had no choice.

Harasymczuk took advantage of the situation hitting a walk-off grand slam home run as the first-place Yellowjackets (18-5, 15-3) completed a 11-5, 13-10 sweep increasing their lead in the GNAC race over second-place Saint Martin's (14-8, 10-5) to 3 1/2 games.

The Saints had the day off from conference play, but were not idle as they shut out Division III Lewis and Clark twice by 4-0 and 8-0 counts.

Simon Fraser (16-7, 12-6) moved into a tie for second-place with the Saints (percentage-wise) by sweeping Central Washington, 12-1 and 3-1. Western Washington (5-19, 3-11) and Northwest Nazarene (5-17, 5-13) split two contests by identical 5-3 scores as NNU won the opener and WWU took the second game.

Harasymczuk hit three home runs - her 10th, 11th and 12th of the season - and drove in nine runs.

In the opener, she hit a two-run home run during a six-run second inning and she also doubled in a two-run fourth. First baseman Emily Osborn had three hits and a pair of RBI in the victory.

Kendra George led the Wolves with two hits, including two-run home run in the fourth as WOU pulled to within 6-5 at that point. Mary Grace Bywater, however, came on to hurl the final four innings, allowing just two hits and no runs to earn the win.

Western Oregon built an 8-0 first-inning lead in the nightcap getting a two-run home run from Amanda Evola, a two-run single by Danyelle Hutchison and a three-run home run from Andrea Bailey in the big frame.

MSUB slowly chipped away scoring three in the first (one on a leadoff homer by Bobbie Lee and two on a home run by Harasymczuk), one in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth.

Then in the seventh, trailing 10-7, MSUB exploded for six runs including the final four on Harasymczuk's slam. Kasie Conder got the win allowing just two runs on a fourth-inning home run by Jourdan Williams, in 6 1/3 innings of relief.

Each team had 12 hits in the contest. Lee and Taylor Hoke had three for MSUB, while Evola had three for the Wolves.

Saint Martin's 4-8, Lewis and Clark 0-0

Joslyn Eugenio and Chelsea Felton allowed just four hits in pitching the Saints to shutouts.

Eugenio pitched a three-hitter in the opener. She didn't walk anyone and fanned two. Meanwhile, the Saints had seven hits, two each by Lacey McGladrey and Sam Munger.

SMU scored a run in the first on an error, two in the fifth on a single by Morgan Klemm and once in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Munger.

In the second game, the Saints banged out 13 hits in ending the game early. Lacey McGladrey, Munger, Kelsie McGladrey, Taviah Jenkins and Sara Bakos all had two hits.

Munger drove in three runs, one with a third inning single and two with a fourth inning double. Tiffany Griffiths had a two-run home run in the fourth.

Felton allowed just one hit, a leadoff single in the fourth. She walked two and fanned five.

Simon Fraser 12-3, Central Washington 1-1

Cara Lukawesky (10-3) allowed just one hit - a RBI single in the fifth by Breanna Thomas - and third baseman Sammie Olexa had a double, home run and four RBI in Simon Fraser's 12-1 victory.

The Clan also got two hits and three RBI from Leah Riske and two hits from Megan Durrant.

Olexa had a three-run double in the third and a solo homer in the fourth. Riske homered for three runs in the fourth and Bouchard also homered in the fourth.

In the second game, Kelsie Hawkins (6-4) allowed four hits and a single run in six innings before Lukawesky retired all three hitters she faced in the seventh to earn her third save of the season.

CWU pitcher Heidy Wells had two of her team's four hits. SFU snapped a 1-1 tie in the fifth, scoring on singles by Carly LePoutre and Riske.

Northwest Nazarene 5-3, Western Washington 3-5

Catcher Elizabeth Beaty drove in three runs with a pair of doubles as Northwest Nazarene won the first game of the doubleheader.

Beaty doubled for two runs in the first and also had a double to snap a 2-2 tie in the third. Baylee Jolliffe and Chelsey Anderson had RBI singles in the fifth to provide some insurance.

Cara Duckworth got the win scattering seven hits. She didn't walk a batter and fanned five.

In the second game, NNU jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first, scoring twice on a single by Kinghorn and once on a single by Jolliffe, but the Vikings rallied for four runs in the fourth, taking the lead on a single by leadoff hitter Cheyenne Best.

Best, Meghan Carrillo and Jackie Rothenberger all had two hits for the Vikings. Duckworth and Arielle Chao had three each for the Crusaders.