Tuesday, March 27, 2018

WILDCATS, SAINTS LEAD WAY AT TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: The rain and changing schedule did not deter Central Washington and Saint Martin’s as the two teams led the GNAC with 5-1 records at the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif.

Central Washington saw its 10-game win streak come to an end in Friday’s tournament opener, falling 2-0 to Concordia-Irvine, before rebounding to win five straight. The Wildcats closed the tournament with a 1-0 win over No. 13 Sonoma State on Sunday with Celine Fowler batting in the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

The effort netted the Wildcats both GNAC Softball Player of the Week awards. Senior Taelor Griffin was named Player of the Week after she went 7 for 14 with three runs and seven RBIs. Sophomore Lexie Strasser was named the Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week after she went 4-1 last week, allowing five runs, one earned, on nine hits and struck out 11 in 24.2 innings of work. Both were named to the TOC All-Tournament Team.

Saint Martin’s improved by two wins over last year to finish with a 5-1 record. The Saints punctuated its run with a 2-1 tournament-opening win over Azusa Pacific and a 10-8, eight-inning victory over Humboldt State. The Saints led all GNAC teams with a .298 batting average in the tournament, earning the Saints selection as the Red Lion/GNAC Team of the Week.

The Saints were led by Lindsay Miller, who earned All-Tournament Team honors by going 8 for 21 in the six games, and by pitcher Lauren Maley, who also made the All-Tournament Team after going 5-0 in the tournament, allowing six runs, five earned, on 19 hits in 19.2 innings.

GNAC AT THE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: The GNAC finished with a 23-19 record in this year’s Tournament of Champions, the conference’s most wins in the tournament since 2015. Conference teams finished with 22 wins each of the last three years. Central Washington and Saint Martin’s were joined by Concordia (3-2), Northwest Nazarene (2-2) and Western Washington (3-3) with .500 or better records.

BACK TO CONFERENCE PLAY: After Western Washington plays at Stanislaus State on Tuesday, all eight conference teams will be singularly focused on GNAC play for the remainder of the season. The weekend will be highlighted by a doubleheader between Western Oregon and Central Washington on Friday, which will also include the conclusion of a game between the two teams that was halted by rain back on Mar. 18. Saint Martin’s and Northwest Nazarene will play in a four-game series that could help determine each team’s track for a potential GNAC Championships berth.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Taelor Griffin, Central Washington
IF • 5-7 •  Senior • Ellensburg, Wash.

 Griffin batted .500 for the Wildcats at the Tournament of Champions, going 7 for 14 with three runs and seven RBIs. She went 2 for 3 with two runs and five RBIs, three of which came on a three-run homer, in the Wildcats’ 10-1 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills. Griffin went 2 for 4 and had an RBI single in Saturday’s 9-1 win over Notre Dame de Namur and went 2 for 2 for in Sunday’s 1-0 win over No. 13 Sonoma State.

Also Nominated: Jordan Smith-Imes (Concordia), Heather Tracy (Montana State Billings), Lindsay Miller (Saint Martin’s), Ryanne Huffman (Western Oregon), Sam Silver (Western Washington).

PITCHER
Lexie Strasser, Central Washington
P • 6-2 •  Freshman • Chehalis, Wash.

Strasser earns the award for the second straight week after she went 4-1 and amassed a 0.28 earned run average in five appearances at the Tournament of Champions. She allowed five runs, one earned, on nine hits and one walk while striking out 11 and limited opposing batters to a .102 average. Strasser threw a complete-game four-hitter on Sunday to beat No. 13 Sonoma State 1-0. She allowed one hit in Saturday’s 9-1 rout of Notre Dame de Namur and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning of the Wildcats’ lone loss, a 2-0 defeat to Concordia-Irvine.

Also Nominated: Mckenzie Smith (Concordia), Lauren Maley (Saint Martin’s), Lizzet Dominguez (Western Oregon), Kira Doan (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington was one of two GNAC teams to finish with a 5-1 record at the Tournament of Champions. The Wildcats collected wins over Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Notre Dame de Namur and Holy Names before closing with a 1-0 victory over No. 13 Sonoma State.

• Freshman Lexie Strasser was named the GNAC Softball Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week after she amassed a 4-1 record and a 0.28 earned run average in five games last week. After opening the week with a 5-3 win over Stanislaus State on Wednesday where she allowed three unearned runs on just one hit, Strasser managed to allow two runs, one earned, on eight hits in the tournament. She earned pitching wins in relief against Cal State San Marcos and in the start against Notre Dame de Namur before pitching a four-hit shutout to beat Sonoma State. Strasser enters the week second in the GNAC with a 2.44 earned run average and leads the league with her 10 wins.

• Senior Taelor Griffin was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week after she led the Wildcats offensively by going 7 for 14 in the seven games with three runs and seven RBIs. She had three two-hit games, going 2 for 3 with two runs and five RBIs, three on a three-run homer, against Cal State Dominguez Hills, and then went 2 for 2 against Sonoma State. Griffin owns a .333 batting average in 18 games.

• Central Washington finished the Tournament of Champions with a 5-1 record for the second consecutive year and has gone .500 or better in the tournament in each of the last seven years.

• Central Washington leads the GNAC with a .319 batting average and a 2.76 earned run average.

• Central Washington hosts the Oregon schools in its return to GNAC play, welcoming Western Oregon for two on Friday and Concordia for two on Saturday. The Wildcats and Wolves will open Friday by completing the game halted by rain in Monmouth on Mar. 18.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia went 3-2 at the Tournament of Champions, picking up wins over Cal State Monterey Bay, Hawaii Pacific and San Francisco State.

• Junior Courtney Somers and sophomore Jordan Smith-Imes each hit .385 to lead the Cavaliers offensively. Both went 5 for 13 with Smith-Imes finishing with three RBIs. Smith-Imes went 2 for 4 in the Cavs’ 3-2 win over Hawaii Pacific while Somers had a single hit in all five games. Somers has a .290 batting average in 24 games while Smith-Imes is hitting .353 in 12 games.

• Junior Mackenzie Smith earned two of Concordia’s three wins in the circle, amassing a 1.50 earned run average she allowed five runs, three earned, in 14 innings. She allowed three runs, two earned, on three hits with five walks and four strikeouts to beat Cal State Monterey Bay 4-3 and then allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits with three strikeouts to beat San Francisco State 4-2. Smith enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with a 2.56 earned run average and her .233 opponent batting average is third in the league.

• Junior Alexandria Steen went 6 for 16 in the five games. She went 3 for 4 in Friday’s loss to Dominican (Calif.) and had two RBIs in the win over Cal State Monterey Bay. Steen enters the week with a .315 batting average.

• Concordia enters the week with a .285 batting average and is third in the GNAC with a 3.39 earned run average.

• Concordia is on the road to return to conference competition, playing a doubleheader at Saint Martin’s on Friday and a twinbill at Central Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went 2-3 at the Tournament of Champions with all but one game decided by one run. The Yellowjackets picked up a 4-3 win on Friday over San Francisco State and a 5-4 win over Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday.

• Senior Heather Tracy paced the Yellowjackets by hitting .529 in the five games, the best of any GNAC player in the tournament. She went 9 for 17 with nine runs, five RBIs, a double and a triple. Tracy had two hits against both San Francisco State and Stanislaus State on Friday and then went 3 for 4 with two runs on Sunday against Cal State Monterey Bay. She had her eighth career triple in the game to set an MSUB career record. Tracy leads the GNAC with a .519 batting average, 55 hits, 31 runs and 81 total bases and she is tied for the GNAC lead with five home runs.

• Senior Amanda Barham batted .400 in the five games, going 6 for 15 with two runs and two RBIs. She went 2 for 4 with an RBI single against San Francisco State while finishing with one hit in each of the final four games. Barham enters the week with a .306 batting average in 29 games.

• Senior Megan Dettling went 1-1 in the circle and amassed a 2.76 earned run average in two games in Turlock. She earned the win over San Francisco State on Friday, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits and four walks. Dettling enters the week with three wins and a 4.92 earned run average.

• Montana State Billings enters the week third in the GNAC with a .310 batting average and a 4.81 earned run average. The Yellowjackets lead the league with 26 home runs.

• The Yellowjackets make their long-awaited home debut this weekend, hosting Western Washington for a four-game series on Friday and Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split its four games at the Tournament of Champions. The Nighthawks opened with a 5-1 win over Humboldt State on Friday and scored a 7-5 win over Dominican (Calif.) in its lone game on Saturday.

• Junior Cassidy Fifield led Northwest Nazarene in the tournament with a .429 batting average, going 6 for 14 with two runs and two doubles. She went 2 for 4 with a double against Humboldt State and ended Friday with two hits against Azusa Pacific. Fifield is fifth in the GNAC with her .397 season batting average and is fourth in the league with 50 total bases.

• Sophomore Brittany Genuardi and junior Kylie Orr each went 5 for 13 in the four games with Genuardi adding three RBIs and three doubles. She had two hits and a double against Humboldt State and went 2 for 3 with three RBIs against Dominican. Orr’s top performance was a 2 for 4 effort against Dominican with a run and an RBI. Genuardi is hitting .368 this season while Orr is hitting .333 and is second in the GNAC with 24 RBIs.

• Freshmen Jordan Adams and Jackie Vargas picked up the pitching wins. Adams was the winner against Humboldt State, allowing one run on five hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts. Vargas picked up the win over Dominican in relief of Adams, allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts in five innings. Adams currently leads the GNAC with a 2.19 earned run average.

• Northwest Nazarene enters the week second in the GNAC with a .316 batting average and with a 4.22 earned run average. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC with 56 doubles.

• The Nighthawks restart GNAC play by hosting Simon Fraser for four games on Friday and Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• The Saints were one of two GNAC teams to finish the Tournament of Champions with a 5-1 record. The Saints scored victories over Azusa Pacific, San Francisco St., Chaminade, Humboldt State and Dominican (Calif.). The five wins earned Saint Martin’s selection as the Red Lion/GNAC Team of the Week.

• Senior Lindsay Miller was named to the All-Tournament Team after she finished with a .381 average in the six games, going 8 for 21 with seven runs and two RBIs. She went 2 for 4 and scored two runs against Cal State San Marcos, scored two runs and had an RBI single against San Francisco State and went 3 for 4 with two runs against Dominican. Miller enters the week with a .341 batting average.

• Junior Lauren Maley also earned All-Tournament Team honors after going 5-0 in the circle with a 1.78 earned run average, allowing six runs, five earned, on 19 hits in 19.2 innings. Four of her wins came in relief against Azusa Pacific, Chaminade, Humboldt State and Dominican. Her starting win came against San Francisco State where she allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits in four innings. Maley is fifth in the GNAC with a 2.69 earned run average, leads the league with 11 relief appearances and is second with nine wins.

• Senior Tessani Dixon batted .524 in the six games, going 11 for 21 with three runs and eight RBIs. She went 2 for 4 and scored two runs on a seventh-inning homer vs. Cal State San Marcos and went 4 for 5 against Humboldt State. Dixon is ninth in the GNAC with a .373 batting average.

• The 5-1 record for the Saints at the Tournament of Challenge marks the fourth time in the last six years that SMU has had five or more wins at the tournament.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week with a .268 batting average and is second in the GNAC with a .327 earned run average.

• Saint Martin’s is home this weekend, hosting Concordia for a doubleheader on Saturday and Western Oregon for two games on Sunday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser’s hot start was slowed by a 1-4 record at the Tournament of Champions. The Clan’s one win came on Sunday, 5-3 over Notre Dame de Namur.

• Sophomore Amanda Janes batted .500 to lead SFU, going  4 for 8 with two runs and four RBIs in four games. Three of those hits came against Dominican (Calif.) where she went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, two on a two-run single in the fifth. Janes enters the week with a .438 batting average in 10 games.

• Senior Taylor Lundrigan had four runs and two RBIs at the Tournament of Champions. Two of those runs were scored against Dominican on Saturday and she scored the winning run on Sunday against Notre Dame de Namur. Lundrigan enters the week leading SFU with a .348 batting average.

• Senior Alia Stachoski earned the pitching win against Notre Dame de Namur, allowing three runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts to improve to 8-6 on the season. Stachoski is the Clan’s leading pitcher with a 3.33 earned run average, ninth in the GNAC.

• Simon Fraser enters the week with a .268 batting average to go along with a 4.07 earned run average. The Clan leads the GNAC with a .979 fielding percentage and has committed the fewest errors (12) of any team in the conference.

• Simon Fraser returns to GNAC play on the road, facing Northwest Nazarene in a four-game series on Friday and Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon went 2-3 at the Tournament of Champions, picking up a 4-3, eight-inning victory over Stanislaus State on Friday and an 8-1 win over San Francisco State.

• Junior Ryanne Huffman led Western Oregon offensively, going 6 for 15 in the five games with four runs, two RBIs and two triples. Her best effort came on Sunday, going 3 for 4 with two runs, two RBIs and two triples against San Francisco State. Huffman enters the week fourth in the GNAC with a .411 batting average and is second in the league with 37 hits.

• Junior Cheyenne Rimer went 5 for 14 with three runs and three RBIs in the tournament. Her best effort also came against San Francisco State, going 3 for 4 with two runs, two RBIs and an RBI double. Rimer enters the week with a .286 batting average.

• Senior Lizzet Dominguez earned both of Western Oregon’s pitching wins. She earned the win in relief against Stanislaus State, throwing two hitless innings, and collected the complete game win over San Francisco State as she allowed one unearned run on four hits and four walks. Dominguez enters the week seventh in the GNAC with a 3.24 earned run average and is tied for third with her eight wins.

• Western Oregon enters the week with a .299 batting average and a 4.07 earned run average. The Wolves are also second in the GNAC with a .963 fielding percentage.

• Western Oregon is on the road to re-open the GNAC schedule, playing a doubleheader at Central Washington on Saturday and a doubleheader at Saint Martin’s on Sunday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went 3-3 at the Tournament of Champions, collecting a 4-2 win over Hawaii Hilo, a 6-1 win over Cal State San Bernardino and a 1-0 win over Cal State East Bay.

• Freshman Sam Silver led the Vikings with a .313 batting average in the six games, going 5 for 16 with a run, an RBI and a double. Her best effort came in the win over Hawaii Hilo where Silver went 2 for 3 with three RBIs on a third-inning home run. Silver has now played in 16 games this season and improved her batting average to .261.

• Sophomore Paityn Cyr had six hits in the six games, topping her week with 2 for 4 efforts against Cal State San Bernardino and San Francisco State. Cyr enters the week with a .266 batting average.

• Sophomore Shearyna Labasan finished with five hits in the six games and also pitched three contests for the Vikings. She finished going 2 for 4 against Cal State San Bernardino. Labasan enters the week second in the GNAC with a .462 batting average and also owns a 3.49 earned run average, leading the Vikings in both categories.

• Freshman Kira Doan earned the win over Cal State East Bay in her one start of the tournament, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two in the 1-0 shutout. It was just Doan’s second start of her college career.

• Thanks to its 3-3 mark, Western Washington has finished .500 or better in each of the last five seasons of the Tournament of Champions. The Vikings lead all GNAC teams with 56 wins in the tournament.

• Western Washington enters the week with a 2.53 batting average and fourth in the GNAC with a 3.85 earned run average.

• Western Washington finishes its California trip with a doubleheader on Tuesday at Stanislaus State before traveling to Montana State Billings for a four-game series.