Softball | 3/29/2014 12:53:00 PM

Box Score

NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Oregon University softball team won its fifth straight game and 14th out of its last 15 games, as it shutout Northwest Nazarene University (Idaho) 9-0 Saturday. The victory completed a four-game sweep at NNU.

The Wolves (22-11, 13-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) have a comfortable lead atop the conference standings with 10 games remaining in GNAC play. WOU needs three more conference wins to clinch a berth to the GNAC Tournament in Richland, Wash., May 1-3.

Kelli Demianew (8-5) grabbed the win after pitching the final six innings. The junior allowed four hits, but no runs. She has now given up only one earned run over her last 36.2 innings on the mound. Demianew leads the conference with a 1.73 Earned Run Average. She struck out three NNU batters Saturday, while throwing no walks.

Amanda Evola extended her GNAC-leading hit streak to 15 games. She went 3-for-3 with an RBI. The junior matched the conference's longest hitting streak of the season, by her teammate Melanie Pfieffer. Saturday, Pfeiffer finished 4-for-5 at the plate. The senior hit a double and a triple. Destiny Kuehl went 2-for-3 and was walked. She had three RBI and hit her first home run of the season. Bridjet Box was 3-for-4 with two RBI.

After Western Oregon opened the scoring in the top of the third, an Evola single to right field scored Pfeiffer in the fifth inning. Leading 2-0 in the final inning, WOU added seven more runs, including Kuehl's three-run home run over the center field wall.

Justine Callen led the Crusaders (8-21, 2-9 GNAC) with a pair of hits. Noelle Wright (3-12) was credited with loss in the circle. She allowed four earned runs on 13 hits. Northwest Nazarene, which completed a 10-game homestand, committed three errors. It has now lost five straight.

The Wolves, which are receiving four votes in the national poll, have a break from GNAC play, and travel to the Tournament of Champions presented by the Turlock Convention & Visitors Bureau in Turlock, Calif. WOU faces Cal State-East Bay Friday at 8 a.m. Live stats will be available for all of Western Oregon's games at the tournament on WOUWolves.com.

Western Oregon 9, Northwest Nazarene 0 (Mar 29, 2014 at Nampa, ID)
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Western Oregon...... 001 010 7 -  9 14  1      (22-11, 13-1)
Northwest Nazarene.. 000 000 0 -  0  6  3      (8-21, 2-9)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - Brill, Eryka; Demianew, Kelli(2) and Box, Bridjet.
Northwest Nazarene - Wright; Pesek(7) and Schuster.
Win-Demianew, Kelli(8-5)  Loss-Wright(3-12)  T-1:53  A-108
HR WOU - Kuehl, Destiny (1).
Weather: 40s, cloudy, breezy
Brill faced 2 batters in the 2nd.