Tuesday, April 2, 2019

VIKINGS’ TOURNAMENT RUN HONORED: It isn’t too often a team wins seven games in seven days, but the Western Washington softball team did just that in its 7-1 road trip last week.

The Vikings started the week on the right foot with a sweep of Simon Fraser in a border battle doubleheader on Monday. They then made the trip south to California, going 5-1 in a swing that included a perfect record in the massive Tournament of Champions event. The victories ran the club’s winning streak to five games while also earning the selection as GNAC Team of the Week.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this team and the way they competed this week,” said head coach Sheryl Gilmore. “Playing eight games in seven days on seven different fields and to see them show up each game the way they did with a determination and belief that they were going to win was so fun to watch. They never let up and they all had each other’s backs out there fighting for the same thing.”

In the process, Western Washington became the first GNAC team in tournament history to finish undefeated.

ADD TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: Western Washington was one of four GNAC teams to leave Turlock with winning records.

Concordia, Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon all finished with 3-2 records at the Tournament of Champions. The Cavaliers posted a 7-2 win over Hawaii Pacific, a 5-4 win over Humboldt State and a 4-3 win over Cal State San Bernardino.

Saint Martin’s posted a 17-2, five-inning win over Holy Names, a 5-4 win over Chaminade and an 8-4 win over Cal State San Marcos. Western Oregon, meanwhile, won its last three games of the tournament. The Wolves scored a 4-2 win over San Francisco St., a 3-1 win over Stanislaus State and a 10-4 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The win of the tournament, however, belong to Montana State Billings. The Yellowjackets won just one game, a 2-0 victory over No. 13 ranked Chico State. Maddy Lincoln limited the Wildcats to just four hits while the offense manufactured single runs in the fourth and fifth for the upset.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Emily Benson, Western Washington
1B • 5-10 • Senior • West Richland, Wash.

Benson batted .565 in eight games last week, going 13 for 23 with nine runs, 14 RBI, four doubles and five home runs. She was named the Most Valuable Player at the Tournament of Champions after she led the Vikings to five wins. Benson opened the week by going 2 for 3 with a pair of home runs on Monday at Simon Fraser and then hit two more homers on Wednesday against Sonoma State. Benson batted .600 in the Tournament of Champions, which included a 3 for 3 performance against Azusa Pacific on Friday and a 5 for 5 game against Dominican (Calif.) on Saturday that included three runs, seven RBI and her 13th home run, which broke the WWU single-season record.

Also Nominated: Savannah Egbert (Central Washington), Devyn Connolly (Saint Martin’s), Paityn Willoughby (Concordia), Ayanna Arceneaux (Western Oregon).

PITCHER
Makinlee Sellevold, Western Washington
P/IF • 5-4 •  Senior • Everett, Wash.

Sellevold went 5-1 in the circle in six appearances and five starts. She amassed a 1.44 earned run average, allowing 10 runs, seven earned, with 17 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched. She opened the week by holding Simon Fraser to one run on six hits with two strikeouts in Monday’s 9-1, five-inning win, and then came back to allow one run in four innings of relief in the nightcap. Sellevold allowed just two runs on 19 hits with 13 strikeouts in three wins at the Tournament of Champions, topped by an effort against Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday where she allowed six hits struck out six in a 7-0 shutout. She was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Also Nominated: Samantha Stanfield (Central Washington), Sally Bowles (Concordia), Maddy Lincoln (Montana State Billings), Brandi Schoessler (Saint Martin’s), Haley Fabian (Western Oregon).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 1-4 at the Tournament of Champions, earning its lone win over Academy of Art, 13-9, on Friday. The Wildcats split a pair of non-conference games earlier in the week, beating Stanislaus State 10-2 on Wednesday before losing to Concordia Irvine, 5-1, on Thursday.

• Junior Savannah Egbert batted .450 to lead CWU last week, going 9 for 20 with eight runs and three RBI. She went 1 for 4 in the win over Academy of Art, but scored four runs. Egbert then went 2 for 3 against Chico State on Saturday, went 2 for 2 against Hawaii Pacific and finished by going 2 for 3 with an RBI single against Sonoma State on Sunday. Egbert is sixth in the GNAC with a .414 batting average and second with 32 runs.

• Sophomore Alycia Bannan batted .400 in the seven games, going 8 for 20 with two runs, seven RBI and two home runs. She punctuated the week by going 3 for 4 in the win over Academy of Art with six RBI, including a solo home run and a three-run shot in the seventh. Bannan enters the week with a .355 batting average in 25 games.

• Freshman Savannah Stanfield earned both pitching wins for the Wildcats last week. She allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts against Stanislaus State and then allowed one hit in 1.2 innings of relief to earn the win over Academy of Art. Stanfield is 7-1 on the season and enters the week with a 5.28 earned run average.

• Central Washington is second in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with a .326 batting average to go with a 4.39 earned run average.  The Wildcats are also 26th nationally with 6.37 runs scored per game.

• Central Washington returns to conference play at home, hosting Simon Fraser on Saturday and Western Washington on Sunday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia finished 3-2 at the Tournament of Champions, scoring a 7-2 win over Hawaii Pacific and a 5-4 win over Humboldt State on Friday before collecting a 4-3 victory over Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. The Cavaliers closed the week with a 5-2 neutral-site win over Holy Names on Sunday.

• Sophomore Paityn Willoughby led the Cavaliers by batting .375 in the six games, going 6 for 16 with two runs and five RBI. Willoughby opened the TOC by going 3 for 4 with a two-run single and an RBI double in the win over Hawaii Pacific and closed the week by going 1 for 3 with an RBI single against Holy Names. Willoughby is batting .319 for the Cavaliers in 30 games.

• Junior Hannah Self and junior Macy Besuyen each had five hits in the six games for the Cavaliers. Besuyen went 2 for 4 with a run scored in Thursday’s loss to Humboldt State while Self spread her hits out across five games. Self enters the week with a .313 batting average and is 26th in Division II with nine home runs. Besuyen owns a .315 batting average.

• Junior Sally Bowles led Concordia in the circle, going 1-1 with a 2.33 earned run average. Bowles earned the win over Hawaii Pacific on Friday, allowing two runs on eight hits in six innings. She then threw seven strong innings in a no-decision against Academy of Art, allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Bowles is fifth in the GNAC with a 3.03 earned run average and is eighth in Division II with 0.61 walks per seven innings.

• Concordia enters the week with a .278 batting average and is third in the GNAC with a 3.43 earned run average.

• Concordia hosts Montana State Billings for a four-game series on Saturday and Sunday in the return to conference play.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings opened the week with a make-up split with Western Oregon on Thursday, losing the opener 11-2 before winning the nightcap 10-6. The Yellowjackets then went 1-4 at the Tournament of Champions, the lone win being a 2-0 shutout of No. 13 ranked Chico State on Saturday.

• Freshman Cailee Morgan paced the MSUB offense with a .333 batting average in the seven games, going 6 for 18 with three runs, two RBI and a triple. She went 2 for 3 with a run in Thursday’s win over WOU and then repeated the performance and had a triple on Friday against Humboldt State. Morgan also scored what proved to be the insurance run against Chico State. Morgan enters the week with a .282 batting average and is 14th in Division II with 0.36 times hit by pitch per game.

• Freshman Rylan Austin and sophomore Allie Hughes each had five hits in the seven games. In the win over Western Oregon, Austin went 1 for 2 with her hit being a two-RBI single. Hughes went 2 for 4 in the game with an RBI single. Austin went on to go 3 for 4 with a solo home run on Friday against Cal State San Marcos while Hughes went 2 for 2 on Sunday against Academy of Art. Austin enters the week with a .291 batting average while Hughes is hitting .286.

• Freshman Alyssa Etheridge and junior Maddy Lincoln split the pitching wins for MSUB. Etheridge was the winner over Western Oregon, allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits with eight walks and five strikeouts. Lincoln threw a three-hit shutout against Chico State, allowing four walks.

• Montana State Billings plays six more games on the road before a long-awaited weekend at home. The Yellowjackets will play four games on Saturday and Sunday at Concordia.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene finished with a 1-4 record at the Tournament of Champions. The lone win was an 8-0 victory over Cal State East Bay on Saturday in the team’s final game of the tournament.

• Senior Kylie Orr led the Nighthawks with a .412 batting average in the five games, going 7 for 17. Orr had single hits in each of the first four games of the tournament before going 3 for 3 in the win over Cal State East Bay. Orr enters the week fifth in the GNAC with a .423 batting average.

• Seniors Cassidy Fifield and Anna Williams each had five hits in the five games. Both players capped the tournament with 2 for 4 performances on Friday against Azusa Pacific. Williams also went 2 for 4 in the win over Cal State East Bay. Fifield enters the week with a .286 batting average. Williams is fourth in the GNAC with a .439 batting average and is fourth in Division II with 96 total bases. Williams also ranks 17th in Division II with 10 home runs.

• Sophomore Jordan Adams took two hard-luck losses as she allowed just four runs, two earned, on 13 hits and struck out 17 in 14 innings. Adams took the loss in the opener against UC San Diego on Friday, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits with five strikeouts. She lost Saturday’s opener with Cal State Dominguez Hills by allowing one unearned run on six hits with 12 strikeouts in eight innings. Adams leads the GNAC with a 2.06 earned run average. Senior Rylee Thomas earned the win over Cal State East Bay, allowing just four hits in the complete-game effort.

• The Nighthawks enter the week with a .314 batting average and 4.34 earned run average. The team is 23rd in Division II with 1.79 doubles per game.

• Northwest Nazarene will play its final road series of the season this weekend, playing at Western Oregon on Friday and Saturday. The Nighthawks are scheduled to play their final 12 games of the regular season in Nampa.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s posted a successful 3-2 record at the Tournament of Champions, recording a 17-2, five-inning win over Holy Names on Friday, a 5-4 win over Chaminade on Saturday and an 8-4 win over Cal State San Marcos on Sunday.

• Sophomore Devyn Connolly was named to the All-Tournament Team after finishing with a .545 batting average, going 12 for 22 with three runs, five RBI and four doubles. Connolly went 2 for 2 with an RBI single and two-RBI double against Holy Names, put together a 2 for 4 day against Chaminade and a 2 for 3 effort against Sonoma State on Saturday. She closed with an RBI double on Sunday against Cal State San Marcos. Connolly enters the week with a .334 batting average and is tied for second in the GNAC with nine doubles.

• Senior Lauren Diuco batted .429 in the tournament, going 9 for 21 with five runs and six RBI. Diuco opened by going 2 for 3 against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday. She went 2 for 3 with a two-run single that scored the winning run against Chaminade and also had a two-run double against Cal State San Marcos. Diuco is 10th in the GNAC with a .351 batting average.

• Junior Brandi Schoessler went 3-1 in four appearances in the circle. She allowed two runs on three hits and struck out four in just her fifth start of the season against Holy Names and then made the start again on Saturday to beat Chaminade, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts. The third win came in relief against Cal State San Marcos, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out five in 5.1 innings. Schoessler is seventh in the GNAC with a 3.33 earned run average and is 28th in Division II with her 13 wins.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week with a .281 batting average and 5.32 earned run average. The Saints are 27th in Division II with 0.42 doubles per game.

• Saint Martin’s returns home this weekend for a doubleheader with Western Washington on Saturday and Simon Fraser on Sunday.

SIMON FRASER
• After falling in a sweep of Western Washington on Monday, 9-1 and 10-5, Simon Fraser dropped all five games at the Tournament of Champions. The Clan’s close contests included a 3-0 loss to Hawaii Pacific on Friday and a 6-4 loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday.

• Sophomore Alex Ogg paced the SFU offense with her .409 average in the seven games and a .400 average in the tournament. She went 2 for 4 in the second game against Western Washington, hit a two-run single against Cal State Dominguez Hills and finished by going 3 for 3 against UC San Diego on Sunday. Ogg is second in the GNAC with a .459 batting average.

• Senior Hailey Gearey batted .417 in the seven games, going 7 for 17 with three runs, three doubles and two RBI. Gearey went 2 for 3 in the second game against Western Washington and against Cal State Dominguez Hills. Gearey joins junior Courtney de Adder and sophomore Kate Fergusson in having seven hits in the seven-game week.

• Simon Fraser enters the week with a .301 batting average and 6.37 earned run average. The Clan is fifth in Division II with 0.56 double plays per game.

• Simon Fraser is on the road for its next six GNAC contests, beginning with doubleheaders at Central Washington on Saturday and Saint Martin’s on Sunday. The Clan will then play a twinbill at Western Washington next Tuesday.

WESTERN OREGON
• After taking two games from Saint Martin’s on Monday with a doubleheader split with Montana State Billings on Thursday, winning the opener 11-2, Western Oregon went 3-2 at the Tournament of Champions. The Wolves won their last three games, posting a 4-2 win over San Francisco St. and a 3-1 win over Stanislaus State on Saturday and a 10-4 win over Cal St. Dominguez Hills on Sunday.

• Sophomore Ayanna Arceneaux led the Wolves with a .517 average in the nine games, going 15 for 29 with 12 runs, seven RBI, three doubles, three triples and a home run. Arceneaux went 2 for 3 in the TOC opener against Sonoma State on Friday and closed the tournament by going 2 for 3 with an RBI triple and three runs scored against Cal State Dominguez Hills. Arceneaux is third in the GNAC with a .447 batting average and is 21st in Division II with four triples.

• Junior Kennedy Coy put together a .393 batting average in the nine games while senior Cheyanne Rimer finished with a .357 average in the stretch. Rimer ranks seventh in the GNAC with a .386 batting average.

• Senior Haley Fabian went 3-0 in her three starts, allowing nine runs, six earned, on 16 hits with 14 strikeouts in 18 innings of work. Freshman Maddie Mayer went 2-0 and compiled a 1.37 earned run average in three appearances as she allowed seven runs, three earned, on 13 hits in 15.1 innings.

• The Wolves enter the week leading the GNAC and ranked 19th in Division II with a .332 batting average and rank second in the GNAC with a 3.26 earned run average. Western is 19th in Division II with 0.41 triples per game.

• Western Oregon will host Northwest Nazarene for a four-game GNAC series on Friday and Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went 7-1 last week. The Vikings took a doubleheader sweep of Simon Fraser on Monday, 9-1 and 10-5, and then proceeded to win all five games at the Tournament of Champions.

• It is the first time that a GNAC team has emerged undefeated at the Tournament of Champions, earning the Vikings selection as the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Senior Emily Benson was named the GNAC Player of the Week after she batted .565, going 13 for 23 with nine runs, 14 RBI, four doubles and five home runs. She was named the Most Valuable Player at the Tournament of Champions. Benson opened the week by going 2 for 3 with a pair of home runs on Monday at Simon Fraser and then hit two more homers on Wednesday against Sonoma State. Benson batted .600 in the Tournament of Champions, which included a 3 for 3 performance against Azusa Pacific on Friday and a 5 for 5 game against Dominican (Calif.) on Saturday that included three runs, seven RBI and her 13th home run, which broke the WWU single-season record. Benson leads the GNAC and is 21st in Division II with a .473 batting average.

• Senior Makinlee Sellevold was the GNAC Softball Player of the Week and was named to the TOC All-Tournament Team. She amassed a 1.44 earned run average, allowing 10 runs, seven earned, with 17 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched. She opened the week by holding Simon Fraser to one run on six hits with two strikeouts in Monday’s 9-1, five-inning win, and then came back to allow one run in four innings of relief in the nightcap. Sellevold allowed just two runs on 19 hits with 13 strikeouts in three wins at the Tournament of Champions. Sellevold is second in the GNAC with a 2.26 earned run average and 22nd in Division II with 112 strikeouts.

• Western Washington enters the week with a .322 batting average and leads the GNAC with a 2.89 earned run average.

• The Vikings return to GNAC play with a doubleheader at Saint Martin's on Saturday and a twinbill at Central Washington on Sunday.