Saturday, May 25, 2024
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

LONGWOOD, Fla. – The most successful softball season in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history came to an end on Saturday afternoon at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park, as Western Washington was defeated 10-1 by Texas Tyler in the title game of the 2024 NCAA Division II Softball Championships.

The Patriots finished their national championship season with a record of 58-8, and brought home their first NCAA Division II national title.

Western Washington finished its historic season with a record of 52-12, and became the first team in GNAC history to win a super regional and advance to the Division II World Series. The Vikings finished 4-3 at the championship tournament, advancing to Saturday’s championship game.

Texas Tyler’s Christin Haygood went the distance in the championship game, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts and three walks to secure the title for the Patriots.

Viking starter Alli Kimball worked around a two-out walk in the top of the first, and recorded her first strikeout off the day amid a scoreless first frame. The Patriots struck in the top of the second inning, when Michelle Arias led off with a single and a walk and hit batter loaded the bases. Clarisa Zapata then drew a walk to bring home the first run of the day and make the score 1-0.

Haygood, who shut out the Vikings in Game 1 of the series on Friday, responded with a shutdown bottom of the second amid a string of seven consecutive batters retired to start the game.

Courtney Plocheck and JT Smith led off the third with back-to-back doubles, and Audrey Escamilla came through with a two-run single to up UT Tyler’s lead to 4-0.

WWU senior Taylor Khorrami drew a walk in the bottom of the third to give the Vikings their first baserunner, but Haygood retired the next two hitters she faced to keep her team in front. The Vikings’ first big chance to score came in the bottom of the fifth, when a walk to Lexi Barcomb and a fielding error put two runners on with one out. Haygood worked around the traffic however, using a pair of ground outs to move her team within six outs of the national title.

The Patriots put their foot on the gas in the top of the sixth, adding three more runs to their advantage. After back-to-back one-out singles by Plocheck and Smith, Arias shot the gap in right-center for a two-run triple. Escamilla followed with an RBI-single to left, making the score 7-0.

Kanilehua Pitoy broke up the no-hitter in the bottom of the sixth, leading off the frame with a base hit to left field. Ashley Jacobson brought home the Vikings’ lone run of the game with a two-out, RBI-double to right-center.

The Patriots left no doubt in the top of the seventh however, scoring three more times to put the game out of reach. Smith had an RBI-single, Makayla Garcia drew a walk with the bases loaded and Escamilla capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 10-1. Plocheck and Smith each had three hits and scored three runs in the championship game, while Escamilla led the offensive onslaught with four RBIs.

Kimball allowed three runs – two earned – on three hits with a strikeout and three walks in two innings of work. Kaiana Kong, who led Division II in saves this year with 11, allowed four runs on seven hits with one strikeout and no walks in her four innings of work. Junior Joie Baker completed the game in the circle for the Vikings, allowing three runs on two hits with a strikeout and two walks in her inning of work.

HISTORIC SEASON FOR THE VIKS: WWU was the first team since the GNAC was founded in 2001 to reach the NCAA Division II College World Series. The Vikings finished second in the GNAC regular-season standings with a league record of 19-5, before going 3-0 on their home field to capture the program’s third GNAC Championships tournament trophy. From there, the Vikings went 4-1 at the west regional and defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills 2-1 in a three-game super regional series to advance to the NCAA Championships. Overall in 2024 WWU went 9-2 on its home field in the playoffs. The Vikings set the GNAC record for consecutive wins to start a season with 13, broke the school record with a mid-season, 17-game winning streak and shattered the previous program record for wins in a season which was 34. WWU’s 52 wins this spring were fourth-most in GNAC history, and the most by a conference team since Humboldt State won 54 games in 2006.

PATH TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: The Vikings went 12-5 in the 2024 postseason, including a resilient mark of 7-1 when facing elimination. Western Washington was 8-1 in extra-inning games and held a 17-6 record in games that were decided by a single run.