Tuesday, April 13, 2021

THE RACE IS CLOSE: It is hard to believe that there are only three weeks left in the softball regular season. And at this point in the season, all six competing teams are in contention for a spot in the conference’s postseason.

Only Western Washington has made some separation in the standings. The Vikings enter the week with an 8-4 record with eight games remaining. While WWU leads the league, they split with sixth-place Saint Martin’s last weekend in a demonstration of the parity in the GNAC in 2021.

Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington are tied for second at 5-3. The two teams will square off in a four-game series on Friday and Saturday in the only games in the GNAC this week.

Western Oregon and Montana State Billings sit tied for fourth with 5-7 records with Saint Martin’s just a game back at 4-8.
The top four teams by win percentage will participate in the GNAC Softball Championships, which take place May 6-8 at Western Oregon.

REACHING RECORD TERRITORY: Western Washington senior Anna Kasner is games away from becoming the GNAC’s all-time strikeout leader.

Kasner became the Vikings’ all-time leader with her 16 strikeouts in two wins over Saint Martin’s over the weekend and now has 490 career strikeouts. She earned the record with her 11 strikeouts in Saturday’s 7-3 victory, moving past the 478 by Jackie Quint (2004-07).

It is very possible that, with eight regular-season games remaining, Kasner will surpass the conference’s all-time record of 511 strikeouts set by Adrian Herman of Northwest Nazarene (2003-06).

Kasner currently ranks 29th in Division II with 9.1 strikeouts per seven innings. She has a 9-1 record and leads the GNAC with her 1.39 earned run average.

BISHOP EARNS NATIONAL HONOR: Chandler Bishop’s hot offensive performance in Western Oregon’s four-game series with Northwest Nazarene on April 2 and 3 earned the senior utility player selection as the NFCA Division II Player of the Week on April 7.

Bishop batted .636 for the Wolves as she went 7 for 11 with four runs, nine RBI, a double and three home runs as Western Oregon took three of four games from the Nighthawks.

Bishop opened the series with a game-tying two-run homer in the sixth inning in the Wolves’ 4-3 win in the April 2 opener. She delivered a 3 for 5 performance in the second game, punctuated by a grand slam in the 11th inning to give the Wolves the 13-9 victory.

On April 3, Bishop went 2 for 3 in the 5-1 opening-game victory, which included an RBI double down the left-field line in the first. She closed the series by hitting a two-run homer in the finale that accounted for all of Western Oregon’s scoring in the 8-2 loss.

NO SPECTATORS: To protect the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches and other staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators are not allowed at athletic events hosted by GNAC institutions this spring. Fans are encouraged to visit GNACSports.com for links to live stats and video for conference games.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Marin Penney, Montana State Billings
3B • 5-6 • Freshman • Portland, Ore.

Penney batted an impressive .727 as the Yellowjackets took three of four games from Western Oregon, going 8 for 11 with three runs, four RBI, three doubles and a home run. After going 1 for 2 with a solo homer in Saturday’s opener, Penney went 3 for 3 with two runs, a double and an RBI single in the 10-5 nightcap win. Penney opened Sunday by going 3 for 3 with two RBI, including a sacrifice fly that scored the winning run the seventh for the 5-4 win.

Also Nominated: Gracee Dwyer (Central Washington), Brittany Genuardi (Northwest Nazarene), Julia Lucas (Saint Martin’s), Zoie Recolan (Western Oregon), Tatum Dow (Western Washington).

PITCHER
Sidney Booth, Northwest Nazarene
P • 5-4 • Sophomore • Puyallup, Wash.

Booth went 2-0 and amassed a 1.45 earned run average in three appearances as the Nighthawks went 4-2 on their Bay Area road trip. She took a no-decision in Wednesday’s 5-4 win over Academy of Art, allowing four runs on six hits with seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Booth allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out seven to beat Dominican (Calif.) on Friday, 2-0. She closed the week by throwing a one-hitter against No. 14 Concordia Irvine, walking two and striking out five in the 4-0 victory.

Also Nominated: Isabel Womack (Central Washington), Julia Qualteri (Montana State Billings), Abby Runyon (Saint Martin’s), Jada Young (Western Oregon), Anna Kasner (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 4-1 in its five-game home series with Humboldt State. The Wildcats split Friday’s doubleheader, winning the opener 9-1 and losing the nightcap 13-3, both in five innings. Central won both Saturday games, 8-5 and 12-10, before taking Sunday’s finale by a score of 10-2 (5 innings).

• Senior Alycia Bannan went 7 for 9 with five runs, a double, a triple and five RBI in three games to lead the Wildcats. She played both games on Saturday, going 3 for 3 with an RBI single in the opener and going 2 for 3 with a two-RBI single in the first and an RBI triple in the third. Bannan went 2 for 3 in Sunday’s game with an RBI double. Bannan enters the week with a .379 batting average in 17 games.

• Senior Sydney Brown batted .429 in the series, going 6 for 14 with seven runs, two doubles and five RBI. Brown had two hits in Friday’s opener, which included an RBI double. She had a hit in each of the remaining four games and connected for a two-RBI double in Saturday’s second game. Brown enters the week with a .274 batting average.

• Four different pitchers earned the wins for the Wildcats. Junior Isabel Womack allowed two unearned runs on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts in Sunday’s game. Junior Samantha Stanfield allowed one unearned run on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts to win the Friday opener. Stanfield is third in the GNAC with a 2.44 earned run average.

• Central Washington is 13th in Division II with a .346 batting average and owns a 5.18 earned run average. The Wildcats rank 13th in Division II with a .434 on-base percentage and 20th with a .530 slugging percentage. Sophomore Harlee Carpenter leads Division II with her seven triples.

• The Wildcats will host the only games in the GNAC this week, welcoming Northwest Nazarene for games on Friday and Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings took three of four games in its series with Western Oregon. After dropping Saturday’s opener, 10-7, the Yellowjackets won the nightcap, 10-5. The Yellowjackets won both Sunday games with rallies in the bottom of the seventh, 5-4 and 7-6.

• Freshman Marin Penney was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week after she batted .727 in the series, going 8 for 11 with three runs, four RBI, three doubles and a home run. After hitting her home run in Saturday’s opener, Penney went 3 for 3 in the nightcap with a double and an RBI single. She also went 3 for 3 in Sunday’s opener with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly and had one hit in the finale. Penney enters the week with a .318 batting average.

• Freshman Brie Frazier batted .538 in the series, going 7 for 13 with three runs and one RBI. All of her offense came on Sunday. In the opener, Frazier went 2 for 4 and scored a pair of runs, including the game-winning run in the seventh. She then went 4 for 4 in the nightcap with an RBI single. Frazier enters the week with a .333 batting average.

• Freshman Julia Qualteri picked up two of the three wins in the circle. She won the second game on Saturday, allowing five runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts. Qualteri was the winner in relief in Sunday’s second game, allowing one unearned run on two hits with one strikeout in 1.1 innings to improve to 4-6 on the season. Qualteri enters the week with a 6.30 earned run average.

• The Yellowjackets enter the week with a .294 batting average and a 6.17 earned run average. The team ranks ninth in Division II with 35 home runs.

• Montana State Billings is off next week. The Yellowjackets return to the field on April 24 and 25 when they host Saint Martin’s.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene went 4-2 on its Bay Area road trip. The Nighthawks split with Academy of Art on Wednesday, winning the opener 5-4 and dropping the nightcap 6-4. They split Friday’s games, beating Dominican (Calif.) 2-0 and losing to Concordia Irvine, 11-2. The Nighthawks won both Saturday games, beating the Eagles 4-0 and the Penguins 5-2.

• Sophomore Sidney Booth was named the GNAC Softball Pitcher of the Week after she allowed four runs on 10 hits with five walks and 19 strikeouts in three appearances. She was the winner in Friday’s 2-0 win over Dominican, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out seven. Booth then threw a one-hitter against Concordia Irvine on Saturday, allowing two walks and striking out five to improve to 10-2 on the season. She helped her own cause at the plate with six hits and seven RBI in the six games. Booth is second in the GNAC with a 1.44 earned run average and ranks 16th in Division II with 113 strikeouts. She is also fourth in the GNAC with a .414 batting average and ranks 22nd in Division II with a .896 slugging percentage.

• Senior Brittany Genuardi batted .500 in the six games, going 8 for 16 with three runs, two doubles and five RBI. She opened the trip by going 3 for 3 with a two-RBI double and a two-run single in Wednesday’s opener at Academy of Art and closed the trip by going 2 for 3 with two runs and a double on Saturday against Dominican. Genaurdi is second in the GNAC with a .451 batting average and is 10th in Division II with her .590 on-base percentage.

• The Nighthawks enter the week ranked 14th in Division II with a .346 batting average while owning a 2.95 earned run average. They rank ninth in Division II with 59 doubles.

• The Nighthawks received two points in last week’s NFCA Division II Coaches Poll.

• Northwest Nazarene travels to Ellensburg for the only games in the GNAC this week, playing a four-game series at Central Washington.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• After opening the week by going 1-2 with Humboldt State, Saint Martin’s split its GNAC series with Western Washington. The Saints lost Saturday’s opener, 7-3, before collecting the 10-1, five-inning win in the nightcap. The Vikings won Sunday’s opener, 8-0 (5 innings) before the Saints took the nightcap, 2-1.

• Senior Karley Yoshioka led the Saints with a .438 average in the seven games, going 7 for 16 with four runs and two doubles. Yoshioka went 2 for 3 with two doubles in Tuesday’s second-game loss to Humboldt State and then went 2 for 3 with a pair of runs in Saturday’s win over Western Washington. Yoshioka enters the week with a .226 batting average.

• Junior Julia Lucas batted .300 in the series with two runs, two doubles and nine RBI. Lucas went 2 for 4 in Wednesday’s win over Humboldt State with a pair of two-run singles. In Saturday’s opener with WWU, Lucas went 2 for 3 with an RBI single and then had a two-run double in the Saturday win.

• Freshman Abby Runyon went 3-1 on the week with a 2.04 earned run average. She earned both wins against Western Washington. Runyon allowed one run on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in five innings on Saturday. She then allowed one run on six hits with two walks and a strikeout in Sunday’s win. Runyon enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with a 3.07 earned run average.

• Saint Martin’s is third in the GNAC with a 4.33  earned run average and owns a .250 batting average.

• The Saints are off this week. They return to the field for a four-game series at Montana State Billings on April 24 and 25.

SIMON FRASER
• Due to the continued closure of the U.S./Canadian border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Fraser is unable to play in the GNAC season.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon dropped three of four games at Montana State Billings. The Wolves won Saturday’s opener, 10-7, and lost the nightcap, 10-5. Western lost both games on Sunday, 5-4 and 7-6.

• Senior Aleya Turner led the Wolves by batting .438 in the four games, going 7 for 16 with three runs, a double, a home run and two RBI. Turner had a hit in Saturday’s opener and then went 2 for 4 in the nightcap with an RBI single. On Sunday, Turner went 2 for 4 in both games and had a solo home run in the opener. Turner enters the week with a .333 batting average in 13 games.

• Senior Allyson Drury batted .444 in the series, going 4 for 9 with three runs, three RBI and a home run. Drury went 2 for 3 in Saturday’s nightcap with an RBI single in the second and a solo home run in the seventh. She went 2 for 2 in Sunday’s opener. Drury enters the week with a .283 batting average.

• Senior Maddie Mayer was the winning pitcher in the Wolves’ lone win on Saturday, allowing seven runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts in five innings. Freshman Nicki Derrick picked up her first collegiate save, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out three in two innings. Junior Reilly Tidwell leads the Wolves with a 3.35 earned run average.

• Western Oregon enters the week with a .255 batting average and a 4.76 earned run average. The Wolves are 26th in Division II with a .972 fielding percentage.

• Western Oregon is off this week. The Wolves return to the field on April 24 and 25, hosting Central Washington.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington procured a split of its four-game series at Saint Martin’s. The Vikings won Saturday’s opener, 7-3, before taking a 10-1, five-inning loss in the nightcap. Western won Sunday’s opener, 8-0 in five innings, before losing 2-1 in the second game.

• Senior Anna Kasner earned both pitching wins and became the WWU all-time leader in strikeouts. At 490 strikeouts, she is No. 2 on the GNAC career list behind Northwest Nazarene’s Adrian Herman (511, 2003-2006). Kasner broke the record in winning Saturday’s first game, allowing three runs on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. In Sunday’s opener, she allowed just two hits and struck out five in the five-inning win. Kasner leads the GNAC with a 1.39 earned run average and is 29th in Division II with 9.1 strikeouts per seven innings.

• Junior Tatum Dow led the WWU offense once again with a .462 batting average, going 6 for 13 with two runs, a double, a home run and four RBI. She had one hit in each of the first three games, which included a solo home run in Saturday’s opener. Dow finished the weekend by going 3 for 3 in Sunday’s nightcap, including an RBI double in the seventh. Dow leads the GNAC with a .500 batting average.

• Junior Lauren Lo batted .455 in the series, going 5 for 11 with four runs, a double, a home run and three RBI. Lo went 2 for 3 in Saturday’s opener with a two-run homer and had a single hit in each of the final three games. She had an RBI double in Sunday’s victory. Lo enters the week with a .362 batting average.

• Western Washington enters the week ranked third in the GNAC and 17th in Division II with a .340 batting average and leads the GNAC with a 2.41 earned run average. The Vikings are 14th in Division II with 1.92 doubles per game.

• Western Washington was first among teams receiving votes in the NFCA Division II Coaches Top-25 with 15 points.

• Western Washington is off this weekend. The Vikings return to the field for a four-game series at Northwest Nazarene on April 23 and 24.