Softball | 3/30/2013 7:08:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon softball team rebounded from a 7-6, game one loss to Montana State Billings to earn a split against the Yellowjackets with an 8-5 win in game two on Saturday afternoon. With the split, WOU moves to 18-17 on the season, 9-5 in league play as MSUB moved to 8-14 overall, 7-8 in conference action.

After falling behind 5-2 in game one, MSUB rallied for the win with three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to hold on for the one-run victory. Trailing 7-5 in the final inning, WOU managed to cut the lead to one on a Danielle Harcourt walk with the bases loaded; however, Mary Grace Bywater retired the next Wolves batter to pick up the win and move to 2-2 on the season.

Nicole Wilkerson led MSUB in the win, going 2-for-3 with a run and four RBI as her three-run home run in the fifth inning tied the game at 5-5. Aubrey Conceicao added three RBI for the Yellowjackets and delivered a two-run single in the sixth inning that proved to be the difference.

Hannah Pomeroy took the loss and fell to 9-4 on the year after allowing six earned runs in 5.1 innings of work.

Jourdan Williams led the WOU attack as she went 2-for-4 with a run and three RBI as her two-run home run in the fifth-inning gave the Wolves a 5-2 lead. Amanda Evola added a hit and three runs scored in the contest for WOU.

Despite the defeat, WOU had an answer in game two as the Wolves would never relinquish an early lead en route to an 8-5 win.

Bridjet Box put the Wolves on the board early as she hit a two-run double in the first to give WOU an early 2-0 lead. Box would finish the day with three RBI to lead the Wolves while going a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate.

After MSUB tied the game with a pair of runs in the second, Evola would put the Wolves back on top as she blasted a two-run home run to right field, her team-leading sixth of the season, as WOU grabbed a 4-2 lead.

MSUB would be unable to respond the rest of the way as Box capped the scoring with a home run to left field to give the Wolves an 8-5 win.

Williams secured the win in the circle for WOU as she did not allow an earned run on seven hits in 5.2 innings of work to improve to 6-9 on the season.

Amanda Roark took the loss for MSUB and fell to 0-4 on the year after allowing four runs on two hits in 2.1 innings of work.

Emily Osborn and Nicole Wilkerson led MSUB with two hits apiece while Melanie Pfeiffer scored two runs for WOU in the victory.

WOU will return to action on Friday, April 5, when the Wolves face Simon Fraser in the opener of the Tournament of Champions at 9:00 a.m. in Turlock, Calif.