BILLINGS, Mont. – Despite a double header split with Montana State University Billings Friday at Avitus Group Stadium, Western Oregon University's softball team clinched the fourth and final spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships next week following Central Washington University's 4-1 loss against Western Washington University earlier today.

Western Oregon (21-26, 13-9 GNAC), who dropped Friday's opener 4-1 before earning a 5-1 victory in Game #2, will join Saint Martin's University, Western Washington, and Montana State Billings in the double-elimination tournament, as the Wolves begin defense of their 2014 tournament crown against an opponent that is still to be determined on Thursday, April 30, at Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima, Washington.

The Wolves were led offensively Friday by senior Amanda Evola, senior Jourdan Williams, sophomore Kelsie Gardner, sophomore Lexi Jennings, and freshman Zoe Clark with a combined two hits each, while Clark and Jennings hit solo home runs with Clark's coming in Game #1 following by Jennings' team-leading seventh long ball in the finale.

Williams would go the distance in the opener allowing four earned runs on nine hits en route to suffering just her second loss of the season and third since the start of 2014, as the senior went 6.0 innings against playoff-bound MSUB. In Game #2, junior Alyson Boytz posted her team-leading 15th complete game of the season allowing one earned run on 10 hits over 7.0 innings of work to go along with a game-high tying three strikeouts en route to earn her ninth win of the year.

Montana State Billings (26-21, 14-8 GNAC) was led offensively by Bella Rovens with a combined sit hits on the afternoon that included a perfect 4-for-4 in Game #2, while also registering a run scored and one run batted in. Along with Rovens, Amanda Barham had a combined three hits to go along with a pair of hits by Emily Osborn, Cameron Cassinelli, and Kelsey Devlin.

Jessyka MacDonald pitched a complete game in the opener allowing just one earned run on six hits to go along with a game-high 12 strikeouts, as she picked up her 16th win of the season for the Yellowjackets. Amanda Roark would get the start for MSUB in Game #2, as she allowed five earned runs on five hits in 6.0 innings of work to go along with a game-high tying three K's before MacDonald came in to get the final three outs despite allowing two hits.

GAME #1 — MONTANA STATE BILLINGS 4, WESTERN OREGON 1

In Friday's opener, a pitcher's dual would break out over the opening three innings between Williams and MSUB's MacDonald with both pitchers combining to allow seven hits.

All the scoring would happen in the fourth inning though, as Western Oregon broke the scoreless tie on a two-out, solo home run by Clark over the left field fence that gave the Wolves a 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately WOU's lead would not last long, as Montana State Billings scored four runs on four hits in the bottom of the fourth inning that included RBI hits by Cassinelli, Devlin, and Rovens. Cassinelli would being the Yellowjackets' scoring with a RBI single that scored Brittney Sanders before Aubrey Conceicao came around to score the eventual game-winning run on a two-run double by Devlin that also scored Cassinelli. Rovens would cap MSUB's scoring on an infield single that plated Devlin and put the 'Jackets in front by the score of 4-1.

Western Oregon had a chance to cut into MSUB's lead in the top of the sixth inning when Evola was hit by a pitch and then moved to third on a double to left field by Williams. Unfortunately that would be as close as the Wolves would come to adding more runs to the scoreboard, as MSUB did not allow a ball out of the infield for the remainder of the game en route to earning the 4-1 victory in this weekend's series opener.

Williams and Gardner led the Wolves' offense with two hits each, while Clark and Jennings recorded Western Oregon's only other two hits against MSUB.

Montana State Billings was led offensively by Rovens, Casinelli, and Devlin with two hits each, while three other Yellowjackets also recorded hits against WOU pitching.

GAME #2 — WESTERN OREGON 5, MONTANA STATE BILLINGS 1

The final game on Friday would begin with Montana State Billings getting on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Rovans led off with a double to the gap in left field before advancing to third on a wild pitch and coming home two batters later on Taylor Hoke's sacrifice fly to center field that handed the host Yellowjackets an early 1-0 lead.

Western Oregon would waste little time in tying the game at 1-1, as Jennings connected on her seventh home run of the season – a solo shot over the center field fence – to lead off the top of the second inning.

Neither team would score again until the top of the fifth inning, as the Wolves were held to just one hit over the opening six innings despite Western Oregon taking a 2-1 lead when Clark came home on a fielding error by MSUB on junior Elaine Sperry's slow roller to second base.

In the top of the seventh inning, Western Oregon would bust the game wide open with three runs on five hits. The at-bat would begin with a single through the left side by Clark before freshman pinch-hitter Alex Frazier advanced Clark to second via a single through the right side. Sperry would then step to the plate and brought Clark home with a double down the left field line that put runners on second and third with no outs forcing a pitching change for MSUB. Following the break in action, Gardner would bring home WOU's fourth run of the game on a ground out that allowed Frazier to score before a RBI single to left field by sophomore Ashlee Lynch capped the Wolves' scoring when Sperry crossed the plate resulting in a 5-1 lead for the visiting team.

Montana State Billings would attempt a comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning when Heather Tracy registered a one-out infield single before she moved to second on Rovens' fourth hit of the game. Both runners would advance another base on Barham's sacrifice bunt before Hoke ended the game on a ground out to shortstop to preserve Western Oregon's 5-1 victory that sends WOU into the playoffs for the second straight season.

Evola would lead Western Oregon's bat-attack with a pair of hits, while Lynch also added a hit to go along with hits by Jennings, Clark, Frazier, and Sperry that helped the bottom part of the Wolves' lineup collect a combined four of WOU's seven hits.

Montana State Billings would get a perfect 4-for-4 effort from Rovens, while Barham and Osborn each had two hits in the game.

Both teams will wrap up the regular season with an afternoon double header tomorrow – Saturday, April 25 – beginning at noon (MT) at Avitus Group Stadium in Billings, Montana. If the Wolves sweep then they would earn either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the GNAC Championships pending the outcome of Saturday's Western Washington-Simon Fraser games.