Softball | 4/11/2010 5:05:13 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 [Game 1 box score] [Game 2 box score]

BILLINGS, Mont. - Jessica Hallmark homered three times and drove in four runs, as Western Oregon outscored Montana State Billings 13-0 en route to sweeping Sunday's (Apr. 11) doubleheader. The Wolves won game one 9-0 and then took game two 4-0.

With the wins and a doubleheader sweep by Central Washington, WOU (22-14, 16-7 GNAC) remained one game back in the race for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship. MSU Billings fell to 15-20 (12-12 GNAC) after dropping its 10th game in its last 13 contests.

Game 1
Jessica Wood (4-5) shutout the Yellowjackets, and the Wolves scored eight runs in the top of the fifth inning as they went on to take game one 9-0.

WOU led 1-0 after four innings on a solo home run by Jessica Hallmark, before batting around and scoring eight runs in the fifth. The Wolves had four hits in the inning and the Yellowjackets committed two fielding errors. Jessie Lessard, Ellen Bogardus, Kendra George, Tyler Sutherland, Andrea Bailey and Bailey Rueck each knocked in a run in the frame, and Hallmark capped off the scoring with a two-run homer to center.

Hallmark finished the game 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Ellen Bogardus recorded her third straight multi-hit game by going 2-for-3.

Wood allowed just three hits and three walks to MSUB while striking out six.

Game 2
Jessie Lessard delivered the second shutout of the afternoon in leading WOU to a 4-0 win in game two. She gave up five hits and three walks while striking out seven.

Jessica Hallmark once again got the Wolves on the board first with a solo home run, this time to leadoff the second inning. WOU would tack on one more in the fourth on a single by Tierra-Lyn Cuba and two more in the fifth on a double by Andrea Bailey.

Tyler Sutherland went 3-for-4 with a double and run scored out of the leadoff spot, and was the only Wolf to record a multi-hit performance.

Lindsey Trenary (10-7) took her second loss of the afternoon after being charged with eight hits and all four runs.

Next games
The Western Oregon softball team will return home next weekend to face Saint Martin's in a four-game series, Apr. 17-18.