Tuesday, March 21, 2017

HOME SWEET HOME: After being on the road for the first 25 games of the season, Montana State Billings certainly made the most of its first home games. The Yellowjackets took three of four games from Western Oregon to open home play.  The Yellowjackets broke out the bats for the home fans, finishing with 40 runs in the four games. The series concluded with a 19-18 eight-inning game on Sunday afternoon.

Simon Fraser also played its first home games of the season in Burnaby, but did not fare as well as MSUB as the Clan lost three of four games on Beedie Field. The one win was a 9-2 victory over Saint Martin’s in Saturday’s nightcap.

Two GNAC teams are still awaiting their chance to play in front of home crowds. Central Washington will likely play its first home games of the season on Saturday and Sunday as the Wildcats host Western Oregon and Concordia. The Wolves, meanwhile, will remain on the road until hosting Northwest Nazarene for a four-game set on Apr. 7 and 8.

WET CONDITIONS: A wetter than usual winter and spring continues to cause for softball schedule shuffling in the GNAC. A four-game series between Northwest Nazarene and Simon Fraser, originally scheduled for the first weekend in March, continues to be pushed back due to rain. The two teams are now scheduled to meet on Thursday and Friday in Burnaby, B.C., if conditions hold. Saint Martin’s saw the first two games of its short Bay Area trip moved back a day due to rain. The Saints will play Holy Names on Wednesday and Notre Dame de Namur on Thursday before returning home to host Concordia and Western Oregon over the weekend.

HEAVY HITTERS: The GNAC continues to boast some of the top hitters in the nation. Six GNAC performers rank among the top-50 in Division III in batting average. Saint Martin’s Lauren Diuco leads the list with her .538 average, ranking her fifth nationally. Western Washington’s Emily Benson is not far behind with a .521 average that is ninth nationally. The conference also has six players ranked in the top-50 in home runs per game, led by Central Washington’s Jacie McDaniels. Her 0.53 home runs per game ranks second nationally.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Cameron Cassinelli, Montana State Billings
P/1B • 5-6 •  Junior • Santan Valley, Ariz.

Cassinelli finished the four-game series with Western Oregon batting .444, going 4 for 9 with five walks, four runs, three home runs, 10 RBIs, a .625 on-base percentage and a 1.556 slugging percentage. She opened the series by going 2 for 4 with a two-run RBI and a two-run homer in Saturday’s 7-3 win, added a two-run homer in the nightcap and added a solo shot in Sunday’s opener, a 5-3 victory.

Also Nominated: Corrie Wilson (Saint Martin’s), Emily Benson (Western Washington), Kylie Orr (Northwest Nazarene), Meghan Luebbert (Concordia).

PITCHER
Rylee Thomas, Northwest Nazarene
P • 5-7 •  Sophomore • Spanaway, Wash.

Thomas picked up two of three wins for the Crusaders in their series win over Concordia. In 12 innings, Thomas allowed eight runs, six earned, on 14 hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. She allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in Friday’s nightcap, a 11-2 victory. She also won Sunday’s night, 7-6, allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits with five strikeouts.

Also Nominated: Kim Nelson (Saint Martin’s), Anna Kasner (Western Washington), Maddy Lincoln (Montana State Billings).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington is on a seven-game win streak after sweeping both weekend doubleheaders. The Wildcats won big at Simon Fraser on Sunday, 11-2 and 10-1 (6 inn.), and then took a pair from Western Washington on Monday, 11-1 and 8-4 (8 inn.).

• The Wildcats trailed 3-0 in Monday’s nightcap at WWU before tying the game at 4-4 in the fifth on Kailyn Campbell’s sacrifice fly. Campbell then used an RBI single to cap a four-run eighth that won it for the Wildcats.

• Senior Taylor Ferleman hit .688 in the four games from CWU, going 11 for 16 with five runs, two doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBIs. The week was capped by a 4 for 5 day in Sunday’s opener at SFU that included four RBIs and a two-run homer. Ferleman enters the week hitting .450 and ranks sixth in Division II with 0.56 doubles per game.

• Senior Kailyn Campbell batted .463 in the series and went 9 for 14 with nine runs, two doubles, a home run and six RBIs. She had three hits in both openers at SFU and WWU and scored four runs in the opener against the Vikings. Campbell is second in the GNAC and 11th in Division II with a .536 average. She is second in the GNAC with 37 hits and is 13th in Division II eith a .583 on base percentage.

• Senior pitcher Kiana Wood earned two of the four wins as she allowed three runs on 14 hits in 14 innings. She allowed one run on 10 hits with three strikeouts in Monday’s opener with Western Washington. Freshman Kylie Sweeney earned the win in relief on Monday, allowing six hits in 4.1 innings.

• Central Washington leads the GNAC and is fourth in Division II with a .375 team batting average. The Wildcats are fifth in Division II in double plays per game (0.65), sixth in doubles per game (2.00) and slugging percentage (.550) 11th in home runs per game (1.24)

• Central Washington will play its first home games of the season this weekend, hosting Western Oregon on Saturday and Concordia on Sunday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia dropped three of four games on its first GNAC road trip of the season to Northwest Nazarene. The Crusaders fell in Friday’s games 2-1 and 11-2 (5 inn.). The Cavaliers bounced back to win Saturday’s opener, 6-3, before dropping the nightcap by a 7-6 score.

• Senior Meghan Luebbert went 5 for 8 for the Cavaliers while playing only in Saturday’s games. She went 2 for 4 in the opener and then went 3 for 4 with a two-run homer in the nightcap. Luebbert leads Concordia and is seventh in the GNAC with a .474 batting average. She is third in the GNAC with 36 hits and is tied for the league lead with nine doubles.

• Sophomore McKenzie Smith went .417 in the four games, hitting 5 for 12 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. She went 2 for 2 in Friday’s second game and had a two-run single to put Concoedia in the lead for good in Saturday’s 8-3 victory. Smith is averaging .408 with 31 hits and eight doubles..

• Senior pitcher Mattie Boucher had the Cavaliers lone win and finished with a 3.82 earned run average in three appearances. She allowed three runs two earned, on eight hits with two strikeouts in the Saturday win.

• Concordia enters the week with a .297 team batting average and a 5.27 team earned run average. The Cavaliers lead the GNAC with 27 stolen bases and 100 walks drawn.

• Concordia will be in Washington for its next four games, playing at Saint Martin’s on Saturday and at Central Washington.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings made the most of its first home games of the season, taking three of four from Western Oregon. The Yellowjackets won both Saturday games, 7-2 and 10-2 (6 inn.) and won Sunday’s opener 5-3 before losing the final game of the series in a 19-18 slugfest.

• Junior Cameron Cassinelli was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week after she led MSUB offensively in the four games. She went 4 for 9 with five walks, four runs, three home runs, 10 RBIs, a .625 on base percentage and a 1.556 slugging percentage. She had homers in each of the victories and went 2 for 4 in Saturday’s opener. Cassinelli enters the week with a .365 batting average and leads the GNAC and is eighth in Division II with 37 RBIs..

• Junior Megan Dettling hit .571 in the series, going 8 for 14 with three homers and nine RBIS while junior Heather Tracy hit .500 as she went 9 for 18 with three doubles and eight runs. Dettling enters the week ranked 24th in Division II with 0.35 home runs per game while Tracy is fifth in the GNAC and 30th in Division II with a .477 batting average.

• Tracy tied GNAC single-game records with her seven at-bats and five runs in the 19-18 win on Sunday.

• Freshman pitcher Maddy Lincoln has one of her best weeks yet, winning two games and compiling a 3.00 earned run average in three appearances. She allowed three runs, one earned, on six hits in Saturday’s opener and then allowed three unearned runs in Sunday’s opener. Lincoln enters the week leading the GNAC with eight wins.

• Montana State Billings enters the week with a .305 team batting average and 6.31 team earned run average. The Yellowjackets are fifth in Division II with 1.2 home runs per game and 24th with a .496 slugging percentage.

• Montana State Billings is off until Mar. 31 when it begins a six-game run at the Stanislaus State Tournament of Champions.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene took three of four games in its home series with Concordia last weekend. The Crusaders took both of Friday’s contests, 2-1 and 11-2 (5 inn), dropped Saturday’s opener 6-3 before coming back for the 7-6 win in the nightcap.

• Sophomore Kylie Orr led the Crusaders offensively with a .571 average, going 8 for 14 with two doubles, a home run, five runs and seven RBIs. She went 2 for 3 with three RBIs in Friday’s nightcap and 2 for 4 with a solo home run in Saturday’s opener. Orr enters the week with a .375 average.

• Sophomore Rylee Thomas was named GNAC Pitcher of the Week after she picked up two of the Crusaders’ three wins in the circle. She allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in Friday’s second game and then allowed six runs, four earned, with five strikeouts to win Saturday’s nightcap. Thomas enters the week with a 4.57 earned run average to lead the NNU staff.

• Sophomore Lauren Bassett hit .500 in the series, going 5 for 10 with three runs, which included a 2 for 3 performance in Saturday’s finale.

• As a team, Northwest Nazarene has a .295 batting average and 5.46 earned run average. The Crusaders are second in the GNAC with 26 stolen bases.

• Northwest Nazarene hopes to travel north for a four-game series at Simon Fraser this weekend. Originally scheduled for Mar. 3 and 4 and rescheduled for Mar. 21 and 22, the games have been moved to Thursday and Friday due to weather.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped three of four games on its road trip to the border. The Saints won their opener on Saturday at Simon Fraser, 13-6, before dropping the nightcap 9-2. In Bellingham on Sunday, the Saints dropped both contests to the Vikings, 6-1 and 8-0 (6 inn.).

• Junior Lindsay Miller led Saint Martin’s offensively with a .455 average in the four games, going 5 for 11 with four runs and a RBI. She went 2 for 3 with four runs scored in Friday’s victory while also drawing three walks in leadoff spot in the order. iIller enters the week with a .476 batting average, sixth in the GNAC.

• Junior pitcher/infielder Kim Nelson had the one win in the circle for the Saints, allowing six runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts in Saturday’s 13-6 victory. She enters the week fourth in the GNAC with a 2.84 earned run average and is 10th in Division II with 0.46 walks allowed per seven innings.

• Sophomore Lauren Diuco continues to lead the GNAC and is ranked fifth in Division II with a .538 batting average. Diuco also ranks 18th in Division II with 1.30 runs per game and is 28th with her .556 on base percentage.

• As a team, Saint Martin’s is second in the GNAC and 27th in Division II with a .327 batting average. The Saints are also ranked 11th in Division II in fielding percentage (.972), 16th in scoring (6.79 runs per game), 25th in slugging percentage (.496) and 27th in doubles per game (1.79).

• Saint Martin’s will play a pair non-conference doubleheaders at Holy Names on Wednesday and Notre Dame de Namur on Thursday before returning to Lacey for doubleheaders with Concordia on Satursay and Western Oregon on Sunday.

SIMON FRASER
• The Clan went 1-3 as they played their first home games of the season. Simon Fraser split with Saint Martin’s on Saturday, winning the opener 13-6 before dropping the nightcap 9-2. The Clan then lost both games to Central Washington on Sunday, 11-2 and 10-1 (6 inn.).

• Junior Taylor Lundrigan led the Saints with a .500 average in the four games, going 6 for 12 with five runs, five RBIs, a double and three home runs. She went 2 for 3 in the opener against Saint Martin’s with a double and a home run and went 3 for 4 with two home runs in the nightcap. Lundrigan enters the week fourth in the GNAC and 14th in Division II with a .500 batting average and also ranks 36th in Division II with 0.31 home runs per game.

• Freshman Amanda Janes finished hitting .455 in the four games, going 5 for 11 with the RBIs and a run. She topped her weekend by going 3 for 4 with three two-out RBIs in the win over Saint Martin’s.

• Senior Tori Belton earned the pitching win for the Clan, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in Saturday’s opener against Saint Martin’s. Belton enters the week leading the SFU staff with a 4.44 earned run average and is tied for 25th in Division II with her two saves.

• As a team, Simon Fraser enters the week with a .296 batting average and a 5.18 earned run average.

• Simon Fraser is scheduled to host Northwest Nazarnee on Thursday and Friday in games that continue to get pushed back by inclement weather. The Clan will host Western Washington in Bellingham on Saturday and travel to WWU for a pair on Sunday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon had a rough weekend in Billings as the Wolves dropped three of four games. The Wolves lost both Saturday games, 7-3 and 10-2 (6 inn.) and Sunday’s opener, 5-3, before taking the series finale in a 19-18 slugfest.

• Western Oregon won the game in extra innings with Jenna Kelly hitting a single that scored Ryanne Huffman for the winning run. The Wolves had 18 hits in the game and took advantage of four MSUB errors.

• Senior Kelsie Gardner led the team offensively with a .500 batting average, going 7 for 14 with five runs and two RBIs. She went 2 for 4 in Saturday’s opener and then went 2 for 4 with three runs and two RBIs in Sunday’s finale. Gardner leads WOU and is eighth in the GNAC with a .464 batting average.

• Sophomore Haley Fabian earned the win in relief in Sunday’s game despite giving up 12 runs on nine hits in two innings. Lizzet Dominguez, who started and pitched the first three innings, returned in the eighth inning and picked up the save as she allowed no hits in the eighth.

• Senior Sammi Cadwallader continues to lead the Wolves in the circle. She is third in the GNAC with a 2.72 earned run average and a 4-1 record, allowing 22 runs, 14 earned, on 36 hits in 36 innings.

• The Wolves are third in the GNAC in hitting with a .318 batting average and are also thirtd in pitching with a 4.24 earned run average. Western Oregon is 17th in Division II with 1.00 home runs per game, 22nd iwith 6.47 runs per game and 37th with a .490 slugging percentage.

• Western Oregon heads to Washington for four games this weekend, playing two at Central Washington on Saturday and two at Saint Martin’s on Sunday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington finished the weekend with a split, defeating Saint Martin’s in two games on Sunday, 6-1 and 8-0 (6 inn.) and losing two games to Weatern Washington on Monday, 11-1 and 8-4 (8 inn.).

• Sophomore Shearyna Labasan led the Vikings with a .500 batting average, going 7 for 14 with two doubles, four runs and two RBIs. She went 2 for 2 in Sunday’s nightcap against Saint Martin’s with two runs, two RBIs and three walks, and then went 3 for 4 in Monday’s opener against CWU.

• Labasan also went 1-1 in the circle for the Vikings with a 1.93 earned run average in three appearances. She earned the win in Sunday’s nightcap, allowing three hits and three walks in the 8-0 shutout. Labasan enters the week fifth in the GNAC with a 2.96 earned run average and has allowed 27 runs, 20 earned, in 47.1 innings.

• Junior Emily Benson went 5 for 9 in the four games with her weekend punctuated by a 3 for 5 effort in Sunday’s opener that included a double, two home runs and four RBIs. Benson enters the week third in thwe GNAC and ninth in Division II with a .509 batting average and is also eighth in Division II with 0.39 home runs per game.

• Freshman Anna Kasner added another 13 strikeouts to her ledger, giving her 86 for the season. She leads the GNAC in total strikeouts and is sixth in Division II with 11 strikeouts per seven innings.

• As a team, Western Washington is fourth in the GNAC with a .316 batting average and is second in pitching with a 3.66 earned run average. The Vikings are 10th in Division II eith a .973 fielding percentage.

• The Vikings will play a doubleheader at Simon Fraser on Saturday before hosting the Clan for two on Sunday.