YAKIMA, Wash. – Western Oregon University's softball team had its season come to an end at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships Friday at the Gateway Sports Complex following an 8-3 loss at the hands of Western Washington University.

Western Oregon (21-28) was led offensively by sophomore Kelsie Gardner with a pair of hits, while five other Wolves – senior Jourdan Williams, sophomore Ku'ulei Siolo, sophomore Destiny Kuehl, freshman Zoe Clark, and freshman Amy Anderson – each registered a hit for WOU. Gardner and Clark would each drive in a run for Western Oregon, as Williams, Anderson, and Siolo scored for WOU.

Williams would get the start for Western Oregon, as she allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in 3.1 innings of work before turning the ball over to a trio of relievers – sophomore Sammi Cadwallader, junior Stephanie Morgan, and freshman Lizzet Dominguez – that combined to allow five earned runs on eight hits over the final 2.2 innings of work.

Western Washington (29-16) was led at the plate by Alicia Fine with three hits, while Autumn Isaacson, Alexie Levin, and Jordan Walley each had two hits for the Vikings. Emily Benson and Allie Crowe would drive in a game-high tying two runs each, while Levin scored a game-high two runs for WWU.

GNAC Freshman of the Year Makinlee Sellevold would get the start for Western Washington, as she allowed three earned runs on seven hits in 6.0 innings of work before turning the ball over to Aspen Ison for the final inning.

Western Oregon would get on the board first when the Wolves put two runs on the board in the top of the second inning on back-to-back RBI infield singles with the bases loaded by Gardner and Clark that allowed Anderson and Siolo to score giving WOU a 2-0 lead.

In the top of the third inning, Western Oregon would add its third and final run to the scoreboard when Williams led off with a double to left center before moving to third on a sacrifice bunt by Anderson and coming home on a wild pitch to increase the Wolves' lead to three runs (3-0).

Western Washington would begin its comeback in the bottom of the third inning when Fine singled up the middle to score Isaacson, as the Vikings pulled within two runs (3-1).

WWU would tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Sellevold reached on a fielder's choice allowing Taylor Peacocke to score before a single through the left side by Isaacson one batter later allowed Taylor Clark to score the game-tying run.

The Vikings would take the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning when Crowe doubled to left field allowing both Levin and Sarah Morrow to cross the plate, as Western Washington took a 5-3 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Western Washington added three more runs to its lead on a RBI double by Levin before Benson belted a two-run home run over the center field fence that pushed WWU's lead to the final score of 8-3.

Despite the season-ending loss, a few highlights during the 2015 season came by Gardner who set the single-season record for batting average with a team-high .432 percentage while also tying for the second-most hits in a single season with a team-leading 76.

Western Oregon will now turn its attention to the 2016 season, as the Wolves are only losing two players to graduation and return seven-out-of-nine starters from this year's team.