Monday, March 28, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – After winning last year’s GNAC Championships, Western Washington was picked the win the GNAC in this year’s preseason poll, but stumbled out of the gate, going 2-8 at its two season-opening non-conference tournaments.

Two weeks into conference play, however, the Vikings are rolling at the right time.

Behind standout performances from GNAC Players of the Week Sydney Brown and Chantelle Shimabukuro, the Vikings went 6-0 on the week, sweeping two games from Northwest (Wash.) and four games from Montana State Billings on the road to vault the team above .500 and into a tie for first in the conference standings. For their dominance over the past six days, the Vikings have been named the GNAC Team of the Week.

“It was a really great all-around effort this past weekend and I’m really proud of our team,” head coach Sheryl Gilmore said. “We had contributions from so many different players this weekend and they all had each other’s backs and had fun.”

While a multitude of players stepped up, none did so more frequently than Brown. The Vikings’ ace was untouchable in three starts, all of which were complete-game victories despite never going the distance in her WWU career prior to this week. Pitching the first game of all three of WWU’s doubleheaders, the sophomore allowed one run on three hits in a Tuesday 2-1 win over Northwest (Wash.), then topped MSUB twice with a two-hit shutout in a 4-0 win on Saturday and allowed one run on three hits in a 9-1 win Sunday.

Brown averaged more than a strikeout per inning, punching out 21 batters in 20 innings pitched, and allowed only eight hits and three walks across her three outings. Brown ranks fourth in the GNAC with a 2.30 ERA this season and is holding opponents to a conference-leading .185 batting average.

On Tuesday against Northwest (Wash.), the Vikings found themselves in a pitching duel with the Eagles in game one, but Brown held NU in check, allowing Dakota Brooks to drive home Tatum Dow with an RBI double for the game-winning run in the fifth inning of the 2-1 win. The offensive floodgates opened in game two for WWU, which only needed six innings to come away with a 10-2 victory. Amaya Davis had four RBI, two of which came in a five-run third inning that enabled the Vikings to run away with the game.

Next, the Vikings faced MSUB in a battle of .500 conference programs (the Vikings entered at 2-2, the Yellowjackets at 4-4). Brown had a true five-tool game in Saturday’s opener, throwing her two-hitter on the mound but also driving in two runs on a squeeze bunt and a solo homer in a 4-0 win. Shimabukuro added an RBI single and a run scored on Brown’s bunt. Brooks starred in the second game, tallying three hits including a three-run homer, while Dow drove in a pair of insurance runs in separate at-bats to keep Western Washington ahead of MSUB in an 8-5 final. Joie Baker pitched five innings of relief for her second win of the week.

Sunday belonged to Shimabukuro. The senior infielder hit a three-run bomb in game one to highlight a 9-1 Vikings victory. Brown threw her third complete-game effort while Brooks and Rylie Wales hit solo shots. Shimabukuro added an RBI single in the sixth and was one of two Vikings with three hits alongside center fielder Lauren Lo. In the nightcap, it was senior Kira Doan’s turn to throw a complete-game gem in the circle, allowing one unearned run on four hits while striking out six. Shimabukuro gave Doan the run support she needed with an RBI single in the first and another home run in the fourth, helping the Vikings finish the sweep with a 2-1 win.

For the week overall, Shimabukuro went 10 for 18 with two home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored, winning GNAC Player of the Week honors. On Sunday alone, she went 5 for 6 with two home runs and six RBI.

With the six total wins and four conference wins, the Vikings are 17-13 overall and 6-2 in the GNAC, level with Saint Martin’s. Western Washington has now won 10 of its past 12. Up next, the GNAC softball calendar pauses to allow all seven teams to compete in the 25-team Tournament of Champions on the campus of Stanislaus State University in Turlock, California from Apr. 1-3.