Softball | 4/13/2011 12:16:27 PM

MONMOUTH, Ore. -

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Wolves welcome GNAC foe SMU
The Western Oregon softball team plays host to Saint Martin's in a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheaders this weekend. Saturday's games are set for 12 p.m. while Sunday's first pitch is 11 a.m.

Western thinks “Pink”
The Wolves, in partnership with both Wolves Against Breast Cancer and Play for the Cure, will hold their annual “Pink Out” day Saturday against Saint Martin's. The purpose of “Pink Out” is to raise awareness and support for breast cancer. Mrs. Kim George, cancer survivor and mother to junior Kendra George, will throw out the first pitch. Fans are encouraged to wear pink.

On deck
WOU will welcome conference member Northwest Nazarene to Monmouth for a doubleheader next Thursday (April 21) before heading to Montana State Billings for two games on Saturday (April 23).

Wolves news and notes
Senior Jessica Wood hit her first career grand slam in last Friday's nightcap against Northwest Nazarene. It was also the first grand slam on the year for WOU. The home run was just the second of Wood's four-year career. She has notched 88 at-bats this season. Her previous high was 26 at-bats in 2009 . . . Senior Jessica Hallmark has been red-hot at the plate of late. She hit .500 (6-for-12) in the series against Northwest Nazarene. She accounted for three home runs and six RBIs while not striking out in any of her plate appearances. Hallmark has now homered in three straight games, and four out of the last five. Her 40 career home runs is good for first in school history. She needs three more to take the top spot in home runs in one season, a spot she holds for the 12 home runs she hit in 2010 . . . Freshman Ashley Worthey continued her strong play against NNU, tallying two doubles, a stolen base, and a sacrifice hit. She went 3-for-4 in the series finale Saturday. Worthey is second on the team in doubles and RBIs, and third in stolen bases . . . Freshman Alex Hillmick picked up Western's lone win over NNU last weekend. She pitched a complete game in Saturday's opener, striking out two while giving up four hits and three walks. She also forced NNU into 16 groundouts. Hillmick leads the GNAC in ground out putouts with 171 . . . Sophomore Andrea Bailey has embraced the lead-off role for Western. Bailey leads the league in stolen bases with 11 and is second in hits with 40. Her .381 batting average ranks fourth in the league, and her .450 on base percentage ranks sixth. Bailey has been WOU's winning run four times this season.

Scouting the Saint Martin's Saints
The Saints currently own a 3-18 record and are just 2-14 in GNAC games. They were swept in four games last weekend by Central Washington, upping their losing streak to seven. SMU is hitting .267 as a team with 11 home runs, averaging 3.7 runs per game. Three players are batting better than .300, led by sophomore Joslyn Eugenio, who is batting .397 with 12 RBI and six doubles. Sophomore Aubree Pockington is hitting .321 in 28 at-bats. Freshman Lacey McGladrey is batting .310 with four doubles. SMU posts a 6.42 earned run average while allowing 7.7 runs per game. Eugenio (2-8) has appeared 12 times, owning a 5.65 earned run average with 26 strikeouts. Senior Brandi Klemm (1-10) has also posted 12 appearances, possessing an earned run average of 6.85 with 21 strikeouts.

The series: Wolves vs. Saints
Western has dominated the series, holding a 54-13 advantage over SMU since they first met in 1998. The Wolves are 25-3 when hosting the Saints, their last home loss coming on a 6-3 decision on April 19, 2009. Prior to that victory, SMU had not won in Monmouth since April 18, 2002 (4-2). WOU currently owns an eight-game winning streak in the series.

Inside stats against the Saints
Senior Jessica Hallmark is slugging .552 against the Saints. She has homered five times and stolen three bases. In 58 at-bats, Hallmark has struck out just twice . . . Senior Tierra-Lyn Cuba is batting .323 against SMU with a .447 on base percentage. She has ten hits in 31 at-bats, including two doubles and a stolen base . . . Junior Bailey Rueck is hitting .313 in her career against SMU. She has 15 hits along with seven RBIs and six runs. She has also stolen two bases . . . In ten appearances against the Saints, senior Jessica Wood is 5-3 with a 2.09 earned run average. In 47 innings, Wood has allowed 35 hits, 14 earned runs, and 25 walks to go along with 28 strikeouts. SMU is batting .203 against her . . . Junior Kelsey White is 3-0 against SMU in five appearances. Her earned run average is 0.41 while the Saints are hitting .231 against her. White has given up one earned run, two walks, and 15 hits in 17 innings of work. She has struck out eight SMU batters.