Softball | 4/11/2014 9:08:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – With a victory in the second game at Western Washington University, the Western Oregon University softball team clinched a berth into the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament Friday.
 
The Wolves (26-16, 14-2 GNAC) split the doubleheader with a 7-5 loss and a 5-4 victory. WOU advances to the postseason for the second straight season, and becomes the first team in the conference to qualify for the GNAC tournament. Western Oregon remains in first place in the conference standings.
 
The second annual GNAC Championships will be held in Richland, Wash., May 1-3. The top four teams will play on a neutral field at Columbia Playfield. Tickets are available now on GNACSports.com.
 
Friday, Bridjet Box finished 4-for-7 at the plate with a pair of RBI. Melanie Pfeiffer also had a four-hit day, while Jourdan Williams had three RBI. Kelli Demianew went 1-1 in the games in the circle.
 
The first game's combined 12 runs were all scored in the first three innings. The Wolves opened with three runs in the top of the first inning. Box drove in Pfeiffer with an RBI single up the middle. Williams then brought in Box and Kelsie Gardner with a double. WWU countered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Danielle Harcourt hit a two-RBI double to right center field in the third inning, but once again the Vikings answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the third.
 
Demianew allowed two earned runs on five hits in 5.1 innings. She struck out four Vikings, and walked one. Jenna DeRosier (13-3) grabbed the victory. She gave up five earned runs on nine hits in the complete game effort.
 
In Game 2, WOU had to rally to defeat Western Washington (23-11, 10-6 GNAC). The Wolves scored a run in the first inning, but allowed four in the third. Western Oregon evened the score in the fifth inning, and then took the lead in the sixth after a Pfeiffer single scored Harcourt.
 
Demianew (11-7) threw all seven innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits. She ended her long day on the mound with three strikeouts.
 
Western Oregon travels to Ellensburg, Wash., for its next doubleheader at Central Washington Saturday. WOU and the Wildcats (21-14, 10-6) split their first meetings this season in Monmouth. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. Live stats will be available on WOUWolves.com.

 

Western Washington 7, Western Oregon 5 (Apr 11, 2014 at Bellingham, WA) (Game 1)
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Western Oregon...... 302 000 0 -  5  9  0      (25-16, 13-2 GNAC)
Western Washington.. 502 000 X -  7 11  1      (23-10, 10-5 GNAC)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - Brill, Eryka; Demianew, Kelli(1) and . Western Washington - DeRosier
and .
Win-DeRosier(13-3)  Loss-Demianew, Kelli(10-7)  T-1:42  A-91
Weather: Overcast, Light Winds

Western Oregon 5, Western Washington 4 (Apr 11, 2014 at Bellingham, WA) (Game 2)
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Western Oregon...... 100 031 0 -  5  9  1      (26-16, 14-2 GNAC)
Western Washington.. 004 000 0 -  4  8  5      (23-11, 10-6 GNAC)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - Demianew, Kelli and . Western Washington - Adelstein and .
Win-Demianew, Kelli(11-7)  Loss-Adelstein(4-5)  T-1:33  A-0
Weather: Partly Cloudy