Softball | 4/25/2010 3:54:09 PM

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

MONMOUTH. Ore. - The day began promising for the Western Oregon University softball team, as it took game one of the doubleheader from Western Washington 6-2 on Senior Day, but it ended on a sour note as the Vikings captured game two 5-1, Sunday (Apr. 25).

The spilt kept the Wolves (28-17, 22-10 GNAC) two games back of Central Washington in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings. Western Washington now stands at 22-21 on the season, and five games off the pace in the GNAC with an 18-14 record.

Game 1
Jessica Hallmark carried the Wolves' offense for the second straight game as she went 3-for-3 with a home run two RBI and three runs scored. This made seven straight at-bats in which Hallmark had reached via a hit, dating back to her final at-bat of game two yesterday.

The Wolves also got a complete game victory out of Kelsey White (7-1) in the circle. The freshman went seven innings allowing five hits, three walks and two runs, while striking out four.

WOU jumped on WWU's starter Sarah McEnroe early, as it put up three runs in the bottom of the first. Tyler Sutherland led off the inning with a walk promptly stole second base. She was then driven in on a two-out single by Jessica Hallmark. The Wolves pushed two more across in the inning thanks to two errors by the Vikings.

WWU cut the WOU's lead to 3-2 with single runs in the third and the fourth, before Hallmark homered to leadoff the fourth to extend the Wolves' lead to 4-2. The home run was her 12th of the season to extend her own single-season school record. In the sixth Sasha Koki gave Western Oregon two insurance runs with a two-out two-run double down the left field line.

Karli Baumgartner had two of the Vikings five hits, including their only extra base hit, a double in the third.

Game 2
Erika Quint (10-7) held the Wolves' bats in check as she pitched a complete game, while allowing five hits and five walks but just one unearned run, to go along with six strikeouts.

Jackie Rothenberger provided the offense for WWU, going 2-for-4 with a homer, a double and three runs batted in. Stephanie Fox, Michelle Wrigley and Samantha Rutherford also all had two hits apiece for the Vikings.

Andrea Bailey had two of the Wolves' five hits in the contest, as WWU outhit WOU 10-5.

Western Washington built a 5-0 lead after five innings before WOU pushed one across with two outs in the seventh to break up the shutout.

Next games
Western Oregon will now travel to Nampa, Idaho for a four-game series with Northwest Nazarene next Friday and Saturday (Apr. 30-May 1).