LA JOLLA, Calif. – The Western Oregon softball team came back from six runs down to win their season opener, recording an 8-6 victory over Metropolitan State at the Triton Softball Field in California.
 
WOU, which improved to 1-0 on the young season, had 11 hits as a team from six different players. Destiny Kuehl led the team with three hits while Kelsie Gardner, Ryanne Huffman and Alex Frazier each had two hits.
 
In the circle, Alyson Boytz shook off allowing six runs on six hits in the first three innings to earn the complete game victory (1-0). She surrendered only four more hits over the final four frames while striking out two.
 
Metro State (0-1) plated a pair in the first on an RBI double and pushed across three more in the second innings courtesy of three WOU errors. Another RBI double in the third pushed the lead to 6-0.
 
The Wolves trimmed the lead in half in the bottom of the third. Huffman singled down the left field line to plate Kuehl for the first run. A fielding error allowed two more runs to cross with two outs.
 
In the fourth, the lead switched hands with a WOU four-spot. Kuehl doubled in Alex Frazier and later scored on an RBI single from Gardner. Huffman's infield single moved Gardner to third and a wild pitch cashed in the third run.  Another Metro State error in the field put the Wolves up 7-6.
 
The Wolves posted an insurance run in the fifth with Kuehl's run-scoring double down the left-field line.
 
WOU plays again Friday against UC San Diego. First pitch against the Tritons (2-1) is at 5 p.m.