Tuesday, March 9, 2021

SLUGFEST IN ELLENSBURG: After splitting a pair of close games on Saturday, Western Washington suddenly turned the offense on in Sunday’s doubleheader at Central Washington.

After building a 7-0 lead in the opener, the Vikings went off for 12 runs in the sixth inning in the eventual 19-2, six-inning win. The frame saw 16 batters come to the plate with nine hits. The 19 runs set a Western Washington single-game record as both senior Anna Kasner and junior Tatum Dow had three hits.

The Vikings followed that up with another big offensive performance in the nightcap, pounding out 14 hits in a 15-3, five-inning win. The 34 combined runs in the twinbill set a WWU record for runs in consecutive games. The previous record was set on May 2, 2002, also against Central Washington.

Sophomore Rylie Wales was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week for her role in the series, batting .583 with seven hits, four runs, eight RBI, three doubles and a home run.

Western Washington did not have the only records in the twinbill. Central Washington sophomore Harlee Carpenter hit a pair of triples in Sunday’s opening game, tying the GNAC single-game mark accomplished 19 other times.

CONFERENCE...BUT NOT CONFERENCE GAMES: After a limited non-conference schedule to begin the season, the conference’s six competing teams are now focusing in on each other. The teams will compete in one more weekend of non-conference games before Saint Martin’s and Northwest Nazarene open GNAC play on March 19. The contests will be the first conference games since March 12, 2020.

This week, Northwest Nazarene will host Montana State Billings, Saint Martin’s will host Western Washington and Western Oregon will host Central Washington. The games in Monmouth will be the first of the season for the Wolves.

Thanks to a quirk in the schedule, the conference games next weekend will be the only ones in March. Teams will return to non-conference play in the final week of the month, which is the usual spot for the Stanislaus Tournament of Champions. The big Division II crossover event will not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Rylie Wales, Western Washington
OF • 5-8 • Junior • Snohomish, Wash.

Wales led Western Washington to a 3-1 week by batting .583, going 7 for 12 with four runs, seven hits, eight RBI, three doubles and a home run. Wales went 2 for 3 with an RBI single in Saturday’s 6-5 second-game victory. She went 2 for 3 with three runs and a solo home run in Sunday’s 19-2, six-inning win. Booth then went 2 for 3 with a two-RBI double in the third and a three-RBI double in the fifth in the 15-3, five-inning win.

Also Nominated: Allie Hughes (Montana State Billings), Ivy Hommel (Northwest Nazarene).

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

Booth went 2-0 and compiled a 1.31 earned run average in two wins over Whitworth. Booth earned the complete-game shutout in Friday’s 4-0 opener, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out 10. She earned the win in Saturday’s opener in relief, allowing two runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts in three innings for the 9-5 win. In 10.2 innings, Booth allowed two runs on 11 hits with two walks and 14 strikeouts.

Also Nominated: Julia Qualteri (Montana State Billings), Anna Kasner (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington dropped three of four games in its non-conference series with Western Washington. After winning Saturday’s opener, 5-4, the Wildcats dropped the 6-5 nightcap. On Sunday, CWU was on the losing end of 19-2 and 15-3 run-rule shortened games.

• Sophomore Harlee Carpenter led the Wildcats offensively, batting .500 with three runs, an RBI and two triples. Carpenter went 2 for 3 in Saturday’s nightcap and had both of her triples in Sunday’s opener, tying the GNAC single-game record, and then went 2 for 3 in the second game with an RBI single. Carpenter enters the week sixth in the GNAC with a .500 batting average and is among the Division II leaders with three triples and 0.5 triples per game.

• Sophomore Alyssa Benthagen batted .300 in the series, led by her 2 for 3 performance and two-run homer in Saturday’s opener. Senior Theresa Moyle hit her third triple of the season in Sunday’s opener, which ties her with Carpenter for the Division II lead in the category. Moyle enters the week with a .412 batting average.

• Junior Isabel Womack earned the lone pitching win of the week in relief, allowing one unearned run on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts in three innings.

• Central Washington enters the week with a .324 batting average and 7.78 earned run average. The Wildcats rank second in Division II in triples per game (1.33), 17th in scoring (7.67 runs per game) and 18th in on-base percentage (.433).

• The Wildcats hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Western Oregon for a four-game non-conference series on Saturday and Sunday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went 3-1 in a home series with Carroll (Mont.). The Yellowjackets swept the Saints on Tuesday, 8-5 and 7-6. Carroll won Wednesday’s opener, 7-5 before MSUB came back for a 10-1, five-inning win in the nightcap. The Yellowjackets then dropped a doubleheader at Saint Martin’s on Saturday, 2-0 and 10-6. The Sunday twinbill was canceled due to rain.

• Junior Brittanee Fisher led MSUB by batting .385 in the six games with five hits, three RBI and two home runs. She had one hit in each of Tuesday’s games, including a game-winning solo home run in game two. She then went 2 for 4 with another solo homer in the opener on Wednesday. At Saint Martin’s, Fisher had an RBI single in the second game of the twinbill. Fisher enters the week with a .294 batting average.

• Sophomore Morgan Quimby batted .357 in the six games with five hits, two runs and two RBI. Her best effort came in Saturday’s opener at Saint Martin’s where she went 2 for 3. Junior Leslie Jones and freshman Marin Penney each batted .375 in the Carroll series. Jones went 3 for 8 with three runs and two RBI, including a two-run homer in Wednesday’s first game. Penney also went 3 for 8 and hammered a two-run homer in Tuesday’s second game.

• Freshman Jenna Kister picked two of the three wins against Carroll. She won Tuesday’s second game in relief, allowing two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in one inning. Kister went the distance in Wednesday’s second game, allowing one run on four hits with eight strikeouts.

• The Yellowjackets enter the week with a .290 batting average and a 6.06 earned run average. The team is 24th in Division II with 11 home runs and 10th with 1.38 home runs per game.

• Montana State Billings travels to Northwest Nazarene for a four-game non-conference series on Friday and Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks improved to 6-2 on the season by taking three of four games from Division III Whitworth. They took both games on Friday in a pair of shutouts, 4-0 and 8-0. The Nighthawks won the Saturday opener, 9-5, before losing the nightcap in a 14-11 slugfest.

• Sophomore Sidney Booth was named the GNAC Softball Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 in the series with a 1.31 earned run average. She threw a two-hitter to win Friday’s opener, allowing one walk while striking out 10. Booth earned the win in Saturday’s opener in relief, allowing two runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts in three innings. Booth is third in the GNAC with a 1.77 ERA. She is 16th in Division II with 10.4 strikeouts per seven innings.

• Senior Brittany Genuardi led NNU offensively, batting .556 with five hits, four runs, two RBI and two doubles. She went 2 for 3 in Friday’s opener with an RBI double in the first and then went 2 for 3 in Saturday’s finale. Genuardi leads the GNAC and is eighth in Division II with a .632 batting average.

• Senior Ivy Hommel batted .429 in the series with eight hits, six runs, eight RBI, three doubles and a home run. Her series was capped by going 3 for 5 in the Saturday nightcap with a grand slam in the Nighthawks’ seven-run third inning. Hommel is fourth in the GNAC with a .500 average, ranks fourth in Division II with 1.12 stolen bases per game and sixth with two RBI per game.

• The Nighthawks enter the week ranked fifth in Division II with a .403 batting average, second with a .494 on-base percentage and 17th with a .570 slugging percentage.

• Northwest Nazarene will host Montana State Billings for a four-game non-conference series on Friday and Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s picked up two wins in a doubleheader with Montana State Billings on Saturday, 2-0 and 10-6. Sunday’s doubleheader between the two teams was rained out.

• Freshman Megan Convery led the Saints at the plate, going 5 for 7 in the doubleheader with four runs, an RBI and a double. She went 2 for 3 in the opener, scoring on Britney Patrick’s home run, and went 3 for 4 in the nightcap with an RBI double in the fourth. Convery enters the week with a .615 batting average in five games.

• Freshman Olivia Schmidt went 3 for 4 in the second game, which included a two-run single in the fifth. Sophomore Kylee Vanderbout went 3 for 5 in the twinbill, including a 2 for 3 effort in the nightcap. Schmidt ranks ninth in the GNAC with her .438 batting average.

• Freshman Abby Runyon improved to 3-1 with her win in the opener, allowing seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Freshman Savannah Owen won her first collegiate start in the nightcap, allowing six runs on nine hits with five walks and three strikeouts. Runyon ranks fourth in the GNAC with a 2.25 earned run average and is 24th in Division II with her four complete games.

• Saint Martin’s leads the GNAC with a 2.29 earned run average and has a .308 batting average. The Saints tied for 17th in Division II with three shutouts and 30th with a .421 on-base percentage.

• The Saints travel north this week for a four-game non-conference series with Western Washington on Saturday and Sunday.

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 has yet to open its season. Last weekend’s scheduled four-game non-conference series at Northwest Nazarene was postponed due to health and safety protocols. The series has been rescheduled for March 26 and 27.

• The Wolves will open the season by hosting Central Washington for a four-game non-conference series on Saturday and Sunday.

• Western Oregon finished the abbreviated 2020 season with a 13-10 overall record and was fourth in the GNAC standings at 3-2.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington improved to 6-2 on the season by taking three of four games from Central Washington. After losing the Saturday opener, 5-4, the Vikings rebounded for the 6-5 win. The Vikings went off offensively on Sunday, winning 19-2 in six innings and 15-3 in five innings.

• In Sunday’s games, Western Washington set a school record with 34 runs scored in consecutive games and set a single-game record in the opener with 19 runs.

• Junior Rylie Wales was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week after she batted .583 in the four games with seven hits, four runs, eight RBI, three doubles and a home run. She went 2 for 3 with an RBI single in Saturday’s win and was also 2 for 3 in Sunday’s opener with three runs and a solo homer. Wales capped the week by going 2 for 3 in the nightcap with a pair of RBI doubles. Wales enters the week with a .391 batting average and is 17th in Division II with 0.62 doubles per game.

• Junior Lauren Lo also batted .583 in the four games with seven hits, five runs and two RBI. She went 2 for 3 in Saturday’s opener and both of Sunday’s games and scored four runs in the Sunday twinbill. Lo is third in the GNAC with a .522 batting average.

• Senior Anna Kasner went 1-1 in the circle for the Vikings. After taking the Saturday loss, she was the winner in Sunday’s opener as she allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in five innings. Junior Kira Doan won Saturday’s second game, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits. Freshman Sydney Brown was the winner in Sunday’s second game, allowing one run on two hits in three innings.

• Western Washington is seventh in Division II with a .387 batting average and is second in the GNAC with a 3.43 earned run average. The Vikings are seventh in Division II with a .473 on-base percentage and eighth in scoring with 8.75 runs per game.

• The Vikings will host Saint Martin’s for a four-game non-conference series on Friday and Saturday.