BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Getting ahead early and riding a stellar pitching performance on Thursday afternoon at Viking Field, No. 14 Western Washington topped Saint Martin’s 4-1 in the opening game of the 2024 GNAC Softball Championships.
The Vikings (40-7) plated three runs in the first two innings and let the combination of Alli Kimball (16-2) and Kaiana Kong do the rest from the circle as they started the tournament with a win on their home field. WWU will play the winner of No. 13 Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington, who square off at 2:30 p.m. (PT) on Thursday.
Saint Martin’s (25-19) hung around until the end, but fell short and will play in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m. (PT) on Friday.
WWU freshman Maleah Andrews provided the Vikings with a spark at the top of the lineup, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. “Getting on base is really important for my team, and I just do my best to see as many pitches as I can,” said the first-team all-conference third baseman.
Senior Taylor Khorrami also had a pair of knocks for WWU, while Lexi Barcomb led the team with two RBIs. Khorrami also had three defensive plays in center field, including a diving catch on a sinking line drive in the top of the first that helped Kimball put up an early zero. Kimball had three strikeouts to go against three hits and a walk allowed in her four innings of work, before Kong closed the door pitching the final three innings. “It was huge to have two freshmen come in, especially in their first GNAC tournament, and shut it down like they did,” said WWU head coach Sheryl Gilmore. “Alli was really excited about the start, and that’s what you want to see. She may have felt some nerves, but she didn’t show any.”
Heather Ebner and Shelby Lawson had a pair of hits apiece for SMU, which stranded eight runners on base in the defeat. Ebner turned a key inning-ending double play in the first, helping to keep the Vikings from expanding their early lead. Shortstop Destiny Conerly was also crucial defensively all game long, finishing with a game-high six assists. The most impressive effort came with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, when she made a diving back-hand stop on a sharp ground ball and rose to her feet in time to narrowly nab the runner and save a run.
SMU’s Bridget Johnson, who was summoned to the circle in the bottom of the second inning, did well to limit the Vikings throughout five strong innings of relief. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits with a pair of walks to keep her team in the game.
RBIs by Barcomb and Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez accounted for the Vikings’ runs in the first, and Barcomb made it a 3-0 ballgame with a run-scoring ground out in the second. Andrews capped WWU’s offense with a double into the left-field corner in the bottom of the fourth. “It just takes one hit at a time for us to get going, and I think we did that really well today,” Andrews said.
Ebner, the GNAC Freshman of the Year, broke up the shutout with a two-out, RBI-single in the bottom of the seventh that brought home Goodale. Kong finished the job however, picking up her sixth save of the season by retiring the next hitter she faced. “Our freshman class has been amazing,” said Andrews. “Having two freshman pitchers that I get to spend all four years with them and have their back is amazing. They work really hard every day, and I help them on the field as much as I can.”
TOURNEY TALK: Thursday marked the eighth meeting between the Saints and Vikings at the conference tournament with WWU holding a 5-3 edge since their first encounter at the 2014 Championships…the Vikings are in pursuit of their third conference tournament title, after claiming the trophy in both 2017 and 2021…the Saints are seeking their second tournament title, after winning the inaugural event in 2013…WWU upped its program single-season record win total to 40…Andrewjeski-Ramirez leads all GNAC players with 44 RBIs this spring.
