MONMOUTH, Ore. – On Cancer Awareness Day, Western Oregon University's softball team split a Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) double header with Western Washington University, 4-2 & 5-7, Thursday afternoon on the WOU Softball Field.

Western Oregon (14-21, 6-4 GNAC) was led offensively by the senior duo of Amanda Evola and Jourdan Williams with three hits each, while sophomore Emma Alfonso and freshman Zoe Clark added two hits each for the Wolves.

Game #1 saw junior Alyson Boytz go the distance allowing a pair of unearned runs on four hits to go along with a game-high six strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work en route to picking up her sixth win of the season. In the finale, sophomore Sammi Cadwallader went the opening 2.2 innings allowing five runs (two earned) on four hits before freshman Lizzet Dominguez came out of WOU's bullpen for the final 4.1 innings as she allowed two earned runs on seven hits while suffering the heart-breaking loss.

Western Washington (19-15, 8-6 GNAC) would get a combined three hits from Kaci Patterson, while Autumn Isaacson, Jordan Walley, and Emily Benson each tallied two hits in the double header.

Makinlee Sellevold pitched a combined 10.2 innings in the two games, as she suffered the loss in Game #1 allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits before going the opening 2.0 innings in Game #2 and the final 2.2 innings allowing one unearned run on five hits en route to picking up her 15th win of the season.

GAME #1 — WESTERN OREGON 4, WESTERN WASHINGTON 2

Thursday's opener would be a pitcher's dual over the opening five innings, as Boytz and Sellevold combined to allow only four hits before both teams finally cracked the score board in the sixth inning.

Western Washington would get on the score board first when Isaacson led off with an infield single before stealing second and moving to third on Patterson's single through the left side. The Vikings' very next batter – Alicia Fine – would reach on a Wolves' error that allowed Isaacson to score. After Walley was hit by a pitch and Benson struck out swinging, Alexie Levin would lift a high foul ball toward WOU's dugout that was caught by Williams only to have her momentum pull her through the fence allowing Patterson to score from third on the foul out to give WWU a 2-0 lead.

Wasting little time, Western Oregon quickly tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when Evola drew a one-out walk before moving to second on a hit by pitch to Williams. Sophomore Ku'ulei Siolo would pinch hit for the Wolves and would load the bases after she was hit by a pitch. Evola would come home on a fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore Lexi Jennings before a WWU fielder threw the ball away allowing Williams to come home as well and tied the game at 2-2. On the error by the Vikings, Dominguez, who was pinch running for Siolo, and Jennings would both move up sixty feet to second and third base, respectively. One batter later, junior Elaine Sperry would register the game-winning RBI on a two-run single to left field that scored both Dominguez and Jennings as Western Oregon grabbed a 4-2 lead heading into the final inning of play.

Despite a walk by Allie Crowe in the top of the seventh inning, Western Washington would not be able to cut into WOU's two-run lead as the Wolves earned the come-from-behind win and secured their eighth win in nine home games this season.

Sophomore Kelsie Gardner, Evola, and Sperry would each register a hit for the Wolves, while Sperry tallied a pair of runs batted in to go along with Jennings' solo RBI.

Western Washington would get hits from Isaacson, Patterson, Walley, and Benson, while Isaacson and Patterson scored the Vikings' only two runs.

GAME #2 – WESTERN WASHINGTON 7, WESTERN OREGON 5

In the second game, Western Washington would jump out to a 2-0 lead after WWU's first two at-bats on solo home runs by Patterson and Benson, which was her team-leading sixth of the season, before Western Oregon cut the Vikings' lead in half (2-1) on a sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of sophomore Destiny Kuehl.

WWU would push its lead to four runs (5-1) in the top of the third inning when Fine lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Arianna Barrio to score from third after she led off the inning by reaching on a WOU error. The very next batter for Western Washington – Walley – would belt a two-run home run over the left field fence to extend the Vikings' lead to 5-1, as she connected on her third long ball of the season that also forced a pitching change by Western Oregon.

In the bottom of the third inning, Western Oregon would get two runs back on a RBI hits by Williams and Jennings as the Wolves pulled within two runs (5-3) after Evola and Williams both scored.

WOU would add a single run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Gardner scored on a WWU throwing error to pull the Wolves within a single run (5-4), while Western Oregon added the game-tying run in the bottom of the fifth inning on a bases loaded walk by Kuehl.

In the top of the sixth inning, Western Washington would added a pair of runs to its total on a RBI double to left field by Carlie Richards before Barrio doubled down the left field line to bring home Richard and pushed the Vikings back in front (7-5).

Western Oregon would threaten in the bottom of the sixth inning when freshman Amy Anderson drew a lead off walk before advancing to third on a single by Evola followed by a WWU error in the outfield. The next batter for the Wolves – Siolo – would lift a fly ball into left field that Anderson thought was deep enough, but the strong arm of WWU's Isaacson caused a rundown that forced Anderson out at third and erased Western Oregon's best scoring opportunity.

Neither team would make much noise in the seventh inning, as Dominguez and Sellevold each gave up a hit but did not cause any harm resulting in the two-run victory (7-5) for Western Washington.

Williams went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and one RBI for Western Oregon, while Evola, Jennings, Clark, and Alfonso each picked up two hits for the Wolves as WOU collected 12 hits in the game.

Western Washington was led by Patterson's two-hit effort, while nine other Vikings registered a hit each in the Game #2 victory for WWU.

WOU returns to action on Saturday, April 4, against GNAC rival Saint Martin's University with an afternoon double header beginning at 1 PM in Lacey, Washington.