Friday, May 4, 2018
PORTLAND, Ore. – The last team to earn a berth in the GNAC Softball Championships will live to see at least one more game.
No. 4 seed Western Oregon used a four-run sixth inning, punctuated by a two-run homer by Zoe Clark, to score a 4-2 win over No. 2 seed Central Washington in the first elimination game of the tournament on Friday at Porter Park.
Nicole Miller opened the winning inning when she roped a one-out single down the left field line. Chandler Bishop followed with a single to left field and Jenna Kelly plated both runners with her double to right-center field. That set the table for Clark, who launched her 11th home run of the year over the left-center field wall to put the Wolves in control.
Clark and Tyler Creach each went 2 for 3 to lead the Wolves at the plate with Clark and Kelly finishing with two RBIs apiece. Lizzet Dominguez earned the pitching win to improve to 13-5 on the season. She allowed two runs on seven hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Bishop earned her first save, throwing 1.1 hitless innings.
With the win, Western Oregon survives to play No. 3 seed Simon Fraser in another elimination game this evening. The winner of that game will advance to play No. 1 seed Northwest Nazarene in the championship final on Saturday. Central Washington drops to 31-16 and will wait for Monday morning’s selection show to see if it will earn an at-large spot in the NCAA Division II Championship.
Savannah Egbert led Central Washington at the plate as she went 2 for 3 with a run scored. Lexie Strasser took the pitching loss, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks in 5.1 innings of work. She dropped to 18-10 on the season.
The Wolves found little opportunity for scoring early in the game. Ryanne Huffman reached on a fielder’s choice in the top of the first, but was stranded on third base. Western Oregon did not get its first hit until Creach reached on a two-out infield single in the third.
Central Washington, meanwhile, opened scoring in the bottom of the second. Taelor Griffin reached on a one-out walk, advanced on singles by Jacie McDaniels and Sydney Brown and scored on the third single of the frame by Celine Fowler. The Wildcats made it 2-0 in the fourth inning when Egbert singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
The Wildcats had a chance to pad their 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the sixth. Fowler reached on a one-out walk and advanced to third on Egbert’s double to right, but Dominguez struck out pinch-hitter Julie Reuble and Bishop retired Katie Kastning to end the threat.