Tuesday, February 4, 2014

LAS VEGAS - Six of the GNAC's seven softball teams will be in Las Vegas this weekend to compete in the fifth annual Desert Stinger hosted by Montana State University Billings.

A total of 32 teams from the West, Central and South Central regions are entered in the tournament.

 "It is an honor to host this tournament and we are excited with how big it has turned out to be," MSUB coach Lisa Allen said. "We have doubled in size from our first year." 

Four of the teams – No. 4 Humboldt State, No. 8 West Texas A&M, No. 14 Texas Woman’s and No. 23 Dixie State – were nationally ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association pre-season poll.

Representing the GNAC will be Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene, Simon Fraser, Western Oregon, Western Washington and host Montana State Billings.

Saint Martin’s, meanwhile, returns to California for the second week in a row to take on Sonoma State and the Academy of the Art Saturday and Sunday. 

The Saints opened their season last weekend in California losing doubleheaders at Cal Baptist and Cal State San Bernardino.

Western Oregon also lost four games to nationally 21st ranked UC San Diego.  Western Washington opened its season winning three of four games in Hawaii.

Each team will play five games in the Desert Stinger beginning Friday.

On Tuesday, MSUB got its week started by splitting a twinbill with 23rd ranked Dixie State in St. George, Utah.  The Yellowjackets won the opener 3-2 before taking an 11-7 loss in the nightcap. 

Northwest Nazarene also made its season debut, splitting two games in California with Menlo. The Crusaders lost the opener 11-2, but then snapped a 34-game losing streak with a 11-7 win in the nightcap.  Meanwhile, Western Washington's scheduled doubleheader in Hawaii against Chaminade was rained out.

On Wednesday Northwest Nazarene wraps up its four-game series at Menlo and MSU Billings plays Hawaii Hilo in Las Vegas.

Play in the Desert Stinger begins Friday at 11:30 a.m.

LAST WEEK:

GNAC RED LION PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:    Player –  Alexie Levin, Western Washington (1B, 5-7, So., Everett, WA - Everett) had seven hits in 13 at bats, scored four runs and drove in four as the Vikings won three of four games in Hawaii.  Among her seven hits was a pair of doubles.  Pitcher - Jenna DeRosier, Western Washington (P, 5-7, Sr., Kelso, WA) tossed complete-game wins over BYU-Hawaii (5-1) and Hawaii Hilo (6-2) allowing just 10 hits in 14 innings.  She walked four and struck out five.   

HONORABLE MENTION: Megan Miller, Saint Martin's (3B, 5-3, So., Everett, WA - Cascade) had eight hits in 15 at bats, including a pair of doubles as the  Saints opened their schedule with four games in California.

AROUND THE GNAC: Western Washington freshman Aspen Ison made her collegiate debut last Saturday tossing a one-hitter and blanking BYU-Hawaii 6-0.  Ison, from Gig Harbor, walked two and fanned four in the contest ... The Vikings outhit their opponents .341 to .212 in their four games.  WWU outfielder Autumn Isaacson stole six bases in six attempts ... Melanie Pfeiffer led Western Oregon with five hits in 14 at bats in a four-game series with nationally 21st ranked UC San Diego ... Taviah Jenkins had five of Saint Martin’s 12 RBI in doubleheaders with Cal Baptist and Cal State San Bernardino.

STREAK ENDS AT 27 GAMES: Saint Martin’s Sam Munger, who finished the 2013 season with a 26-game hitting streak, extended her streak to 27 games Saturday by going two-for-three in the Saints’ season opener.  That matched the 14th longest streak in NCAA Division II history.  Munger, however, then went 0-for-4 in the second game.  Her streak is the second longest in GNAC history.  Danielle Monson of Central Washington hit in 40 consecutive games in 2010 to set a NCAA record, which since has been broken and now ranks second on the NCAA streak list.

For more GNAC softball news, check out the GNAC Weekly report.