Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Northwest Nazarene used an outstanding offensive performance last week to vault into the first place in the GNAC standings, including a game of record-breaking proportions.

The Nighthawks swept a four-game series at Simon Fraser last weekend. The bats were hot as NNU compiled a .436 team batting average with 71 hits, 57 runs, 14 doubles and nine home runs.

It was Friday’s second game, however, that was a record-breaking one as the Nighthawks beat the Red Leafs 24-1 in five innings. The 24 runs tied the GNAC single-game record set by Seattle against NNU in 2007. The Nighthawks had 25 hits in the game, breaking the record set by Saint Martin’s against British Columbia in 2016 and equaled by Central Washington against Cal St. Dominguez Hills in 2017. The team’s 24 RBIs also broke the previous record of 23 set by Seattle in 2007.

Junior Abigail Gagnon tied an individual GNAC single-game record with five hits. The mark has been reached 15 previous times, most recently by former NNU teammate Ivy Hommel last year. The record effort, combined with a .625 batting average in the four games, earned Gagnon selection as the GNAC Player of the Week.

This week will play a key role in the GNAC’s chances for postseason slots as all seven conference teams will play at the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, California. The annual tournament features 22 West Region softball programs with GNAC teams playing five games each between Thursday and Sunday.

The conference went 15-19 overall at the Tournament of Champions last year, with Simon Fraser leading the way with its 4-1 record. The conference will be looking for its first winning season in the tournament since going 23-19 in 2018.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Abigail Gagnon, Northwest Nazarene
IF • 5-7 • Junior • Meridian, Idaho

Gagnon led the Nighthawks in their four-game sweep of Simon Fraser with a .625 batting average, going 10 for 16 with eight runs, a double, three home runs and eight RBIs. She finished with a .647 on-base percentage and a 1.250 slugging percentage. Gagnon singled home NNU’s first run in Friday’s 8-2 first-game win. In the second game, Gagnon tied the GNAC single-game record with five hits as she went 5 for 5 with a two-run homer, a double, three RBIs and four runs scored in the 24-1, five-inning win. Gagnon went 2 for 4 in both of Saturday’s games, including two homers and three RBIs in the opener.

Also Nominated: Brooke Jordan (Central Washington), Jazzy Kalehuawehe (Montana State Billings), Haley Agena (Saint Martin’s).

PITCHER
Sidney Booth, Northwest Nazarene
P/UT • 5-4 • Junior • Puyallup, Wash.

Booth was a winner in all three of her appearances against Simon Fraser, allowing seven runs, five earned, on 18 hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts. Booth was the winner in Friday’s 8-2 opening-game victory, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. She won Saturday’s opener, allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits with two strikeouts in the 11-3 win. She closed by winning in relief in the 14-7 series finale, allowing two runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. Booth also helped her cause at the plate with a .529 batting average and five RBIs in the four games.

Also Nominated: Ashlee Laver (Central Washington), Alyssa Etheridge (Montana State Billings), Chloe Leverington (Saint Martin’s), Erica Soliz (Western Oregon), Joie Baker (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington dropped three of four games at Montana State Billings last week. The Wildcats dropped Thursday’s opener, 6-5, before rebounding to take the nightcap 11-6. Central dropped both games on Friday, 4-3 and 5-4.

• Senior Myiah Seaton led CWU offensively with a .429 batting average, going 6 for 14 with three doubles, two runs and three RBIs. Seaton went 2 for 4 in Thursday’s opener with a pair of RBI singles and then went 3 for 4 in the nightcap with two doubles and an RBI single. She closed the week by going 1 for 3 in Friday’s finale. Seaton enters the week with a .262 batting average.

• Junior Brooke Jordan batted .667 in three games, going 6 for 9 with three runs, two home runs and four RBIs and a 1.333 slugging percentage. Jordan went 2 for 3 in Thursday’s victory, which included a two-run homer. She had another two-run shot in Friday’s opener as she went 2 for 3 with a double and also went 2 for 3 in the series finale. Jordan is batting .236 in 20 games this season.

• Senior Isabel Womack earned the pitching win in Thursday’s second game for CWU, allowing six runs, five earned, on five hits with six walks and eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work. Womack owns a 4.93 ERA and a 5-5 record.

• Central Washington enters the week with a .273 batting average and 3.77 ERA.

• Central Washington’s slate of opponents at the Tournament of Champions includes Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii Hilo on Friday, Academy of Art and San Francisco St. on Saturday and Chaminade on Sunday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings opened its home schedule by taking three of four games from Central Washington. The Yellowjackets won Thursday’s opener 6-5 before dropping the nightcap 11-6. They won both games on Saturday, 4-3 and 5-4.

• Sophomore Jazlyn Kalehuawehe batted .385 in the four games to lead MSUB, going 5 for 13 with four home runs and seven RBIs. Kalehuawehe had two solo home runs on Thursday’s opener and crushed a two-run shot in Friday’s opener where she went 2 for 3. She ended the week with another solo homer in Friday’s finale. Kalehuewehe enters the week with a .255 batting average. The four homers were her first of the season.

• Freshman Teagan Seeton batted .308 in the series, going 4 for 13 with five runs scored, two home runs and four RBIs. Seeton hit a two-run homer in Thursday’s opener and a solo home run in the nightcap where she went 2 for 4 and added an RBI single. Seeton leads MSUB with a .316 batting average.

• Senior Alyssa Etheridge earned two of the Yellowjackets’ three wins in the circle. She compiled a 3.50 ERA on the week, allowing eight runs, seven earned, and striking out 12 in 14 innings. Etheridge allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits and six walks with eight strikeouts in Thursday’s opener. She then allowed three runs on eight hits with four walks and four strikeouts to win Friday’s opener. Etheridge is eighth in the GNAC with a 3.25 ERA and ranks sixth in Division II with 14 complete games.

• The Yellowjackets enter the week with a .224 batting average and a 4.70 ERA. They lead the conference with 23 home runs, including 11 in the last week alone.

• Montana State Billings’ schedule at the Tournament of Champions includes Cal Poly Humboldt and Stanislaus State on Friday, Cal St. San Bernardino and Chaminade on Saturday and Dominican (Calif.) on Sunday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene improved to 7-1 in conference play with a four-game sweep at Simon Fraser. The Nighthawks won Friday’s games 8-2 and 24-1 in five innings and won Saturday’s games 11-2 (six innings) and 14-7 (nine innings).

• In Friday’s 24-1 win, NNU tied the GNAC single-game record with 24 runs, tying the record set by Seattle against the Nighthawks in 2007. They set conference records with 25 hits and 24 runs batted in. The 25 hits broke the previous record of 24 set by Saint Martin’s in 2016 and tied by Central Washington in 2017. The 24 RBIs bettered the 23 set by Seattle in 2007.

• Junior Abigail Gagnon was named the GNAC Softball Player of the Week after she hit .625 in the four games, going 10 for 16 with eight runs, a double, three home runs and eight RBIs. Gagnon singled home NNU’s first run in Friday’s opener. In the second game, Gagnon tied the GNAC single-game record with five hits as she went 5 for 5 with a two-run homer, a double, three RBIs and four runs scored. Gagnon went 2 for 4 in both of Saturday’s games, which included two homers and three RBIs in the opener. Gagnon is batting .293 on the season.

• Junior Sidney Booth earned GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors after she was a winner in all three of her appearances. Booth was the winner in Friday’s opening-game victory, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. She won Saturday’s opener, allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits with two strikeouts. She closed by winning in relief in the 14-7 series finale, allowing two runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. Booth also helped her cause at the plate with a .529 batting average and five RBIs in the four games. Booth is third in the GNAC with a 2.32 ERA and is tied for the conference lead with 10 wins.

• Northwest Nazarene ranks third in the GNAC with a .286 batting average and leads the conference with a 2.59 ERA.

• The Nighthawks’ slate at the Tournament of Champions includes Stanislaus State on Thursday, Cal St. Monterey Bay and Cal Poly Humboldt on Friday and Hawaii Pacific and Sonoma State on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped a pair of games at Division I Portland State on Thursday, 6-5 and 11-2 in six innings.

• In the opener, the Saints put together two-run frames in the third and fourth behind three home runs by freshman Haley Agena, junior Destiny Conerly and sophomore Shay Lopes, but the Vikings took two runs back in the fifth to secure the narrow victory.

• Agena batted 3 for 6 in the two games to lead SMU offensively. All three hits came in the opener, including a double. Agena leads the GNAC with a .424 batting average.

• Lopes went 2 for 3 in the opener with the home run and an RBI double in the second inning. Lopes enters the week with a .310 batting average in 16 games.

• Sophomore Chloe Leverington took the loss in long relief in the opener, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work. Leverington is ninth in the GNAC with a 3.27 ERA and is second in Division II with her six saves.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week with a .273 batting average and is third in the GNAC with a 3.27 ERA.

• Saint Martin’s schedule at the Tournament of Champions includes Hawaii Hilo and Dominican (Calif.) on Friday, Chico State and Cal St. East Bay on Saturday and San Francisco St. on Sunday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser has lost eight straight after dropping all four games at home to Northwest Nazarene. The Red Leafs fell 8-2 and 24-1 (five innings) on Friday and 11-2 (six innings) and 14-7 (nine innings) on Saturday.

• Sophomore Abby McGlynn led the SFU offense with a .364 batting average, going 4 for 11 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. McGlynn hit her homer in Friday’s opener, went 1 for 3 in Saturday’s opener and went 2 for 4 with an RBI single in the nightcap. McGlynn is third in the GNAC with a .369 batting average.

• Sophomore Caitlin Zagari also batted .364 in the series with four hits, a double, a run and two RBIs. Zagari went 1 for 3 in Friday’s opener and 1 for 2 with an RBI double in the nightcap. She then went 2 for 3 in Saturday’s opener with an RBI single in the sixth. Zagari enters the week with a .240 batting average.

• Sophomores Janique Balcaen and Kristen Davyduke each went 4 for 12 in the four-game series. Davyduke added four RBIs, including an RBI single in Saturday’s opener as well as an RBI single and a two-run homer in the nightcap.

• Simon Fraser continues to lead the GNAC with a .291 batting average while also compiling a 6.38 ERA. The Red Leafs rank 14th in Division II with 83 stolen bases, 13th with 2.77 stolen bases, 20th with 11.54 hits allowed per seven innings and 25th with 105 walks.

• Simon Fraser’s schedule at the Tournament of Champions includes Cal St. San Bernardino and Chico State on Friday, Cal St. Monterey Bay and Academy of Art on Saturday and Hawaii Hilo on Sunday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon split its series at Western Washington over the weekend. On Sunday, the Wolves won 10-8 in nine innings and lost 3-2 in eight innings. They then won 10-0 in six innings on Monday before dropping the finale 3-2.

• Junior Sophie Franklin led WOU offensively with a .455 batting average, going 5 for 11 with three runs scored and three RBIs. Franklin went 1 for 4 with an RBI and a run in Sunday’s opener and 1 for 2 in the nightcap. She then went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI singles in Monday’s opener and then went 1 for 1 in the nightcap. Franklin enters the week with a .239 batting average in 22 games.

• Junior Chelby Smalley batted .375 for the series, going 6 for 16 with three runs and two RBIs. Smalley went 2 for 5 in Sunday’s opener with an RBI single. She went 2 for 4 in Monday’s opener with a run scored and closed the series by going 2 for 4 with an RBI single in the finale. Smalley is batting .295 for the season.

• Junior Erica Soliz earned the pitching win in Sunday’s opener in relief, allowing four hits and striking out five in 5.1 innings of work. She started Monday’s second game allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work. Soliz has appeared in seven games this season and is 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA.

• Western Oregon enters the week with a .260 batting average and is second in the GNAC with a 3.01 ERA. The Wolves lead the conference with a .969 fielding percentage.

• Western Oregon’s schedule at the Tournament of Champions includes Sonoma State and Academy of Art on Friday, Holy Names and Hawaii Hilo on Saturday and Chico State on Sunday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington procured a split at home over the weekend against Western Oregon. The Vikings dropped Sunday’s opener 10-8 (eight innings) before winning the nightcap 3-2 in eight innings. Western Washington lost Monday’s opener 10-0 in six innings before winning the finale 3-2.

• Sophomore Amaya Davis batted .545 in the series to lead Western Washington offensively, going 6 for 11 with three doubles, a run scored and two RBIs. Davis had four of those hits in Sunday’s opener as she went 4 for 4 with three doubles, including an RBI double in the fourth, and drew a bases-loaded walk. Davis added a hit in both games on Monday. Davis enters the week with a .316 batting average and is tied for third in the GNAC with eight doubles.

• Freshman Hailey Rath and senior Brooke Fesenbek each batted .357 in the series and went 5 for 14. Rath’s week was punctuated by a 3 for 4 performance in Sunday’s second game, which included a triple and an RBI single. Rath had a pair of doubles in that game and had the winning run on a solo homer in Monday’s second game. Rath is 10th in the GNAC with a .341 batting average while Fesenbek is batting .304.

• Sophomore Joie Baker amassed a 2.33 ERA in two starts. She went the distance in Monday’s finale, allowing two runs on seven hits with a walk and six strikeouts for her first win of the season. Baker took a no-decision in Sunday’s second game as she allowed two runs on three hits with five strikeouts in five innings.

• Western Washington ranks second in the GNAC with a .288 batting average and enters the week with a 3.27 ERA.

• The Vikings’ opponents at the Tournament of Champions include Academy of Art and Sonoma State on Friday, San Francisco St. and Cal St. East Bay on Saturday and Cal St. San Bernardino on Sunday.