TUCSON, Ariz. – Western Oregon University's softball team, who are the defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) regular season and tournament champions, began the 2015 season with a two-game split against No. 16-ranked St. Mary's University (Texas) and nationally-ranked University of New Haven (Conn.) falling in the opening 4-1 before rebounding with an 11-6 victory at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Leadoff Classic played at Lincoln Park North Complex.

In the two games, senior Amanda Evola led the Wolves with four hits in eight at-bats to go along with a 3-for-5 effort by sophomore Lexi Jennings. Three other WOU players – senior Jourdan Williams, sophomore Destiny Kuehl, and sophomore Ku'ulei Siolo – also registered two hits on the afternoon, while Jennings drove in a pair of runs for the Wolves.

In the circle, junior Alyson Boytz went the distance in the opening allowing four earned runs on nine hits. In the second game, Williams got the start allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits over the opening 3.1 innings en route to registering the victory with freshman Lizzet Dominguez picked up her first collegiate save allowing a mere three hits over the final 3.2 innings.

GAME #1 — ST. MARY'S 4, WESTERN OREGON 1

In the season opener for the Wolves, St. Mary's got on the board first when Haley Richter singled home Taylor Vidrine following her one-out single two batters earlier.

Western Oregon would tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning when Jennings tripled home freshman Erika Enriquez after she pinch ran for junior Brandy Knowles.

In the top of the third inning, the Rattlers drove home the eventual game-winning run via a solo home run by Nicole Sardelich to give St. Mary's a 2-1 lead.

Two innings later, St. Mary's added two more runs on a double by Vianna Guteirrez and a sacrifice fly by Richter for her second RBI of the game as the Rattlers extended their lead to three runs (4-1) after four-and-a-half innings of play.

Neither team would score again, as the two starting pitchers turned the game into a pitching dual allowing a combined two hits over the final two innings to begin the season for both teams.

Evola and Jennings led Western Oregon with two hits each, while Knowles and junior Elaine Sperry also tallied hits for the Wolves. Boytz went the distance for WOU en route to suffering her first loss of the season.

For St. Mary's, Vidrine compiled a 3-for-4 effort at the plate with Richter driving home a pair of runs for the Rattlers. Gutierrez went the distance in the circle for St. Mary's allowing one earned run on seven hits with a game-high six strikeouts.

GAME #2 — WESTERN OREGON 11, NEW HAVEN 6

Western Oregon would get on the board first in the top of the first inning, as the Wolves plated two runs on a throwing error by New Haven that allowed sophomore Kelsie Gardner to score before Williams came home four batters later on a wild pitch to give WOU an early 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the first inning, New Haven came back to tie the game at 2-2 on a two-run triple by Kristine Liptack that scored Victoria Cabrel and Marissa Colby.

Western Oregon would erupt for six runs in the top of the second inning on RBIs by Kuehl, Evola, freshman Zoe Clark, Enriquez, and Gardner, as the Wolves extended their lead to six runs (8-2) after two at-bats.

In the top of the third inning, Western Oregon added two more runs on RBI hits by Siolo and Jennings as the Wolves pushed their lead to eight runs (10-2) with eight unanswered runs.

New Haven would score four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on three hits that included RBIs by Tori Schiebe, Julie Devlin, and Jen Palase that brought the Chargers within four runs (10-6).

Western Oregon would added its 11th and final run in the top of the seventh inning when Williams singled home Kuehl after she was hit by a pitch with one out, as the Wolves earned their first win of the season by the final score of 11-6.

Four Wolves – Kuehl, Evola, Williams, and Siolo – registered two hits each, while eight different WOU players drove in a run. Williams and Dominguez combined to allow six runs (five earned) on 11 hits with a combined two K's.

Palase, Cabral, Liptack, and Courtney Reed tallied two hits each for New Haven, as Cabral went the distance for the Chargers allowing 11 runs (seven earned) on 11 hits to go along with a game-high 10 strikeouts.

Western Oregon will continue play at the NFCA Division II Leadoff Classic tomorrow – Saturday, February 7 – with a pair of games beginning against No. 1-ranked West Texas A&M starting at 11 a.m. (MT). The Wolves will then play in the opening round of the bracket play against an opponent to be determined later at either 4:30 or 7 p.m. (MT). All games will be played at the Lincoln Park North/South Complex in Tucson, Arizona.