HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Western Oregon University softball team split a conference doubleheader with Central Washington University on Friday at Hillsboro Stadium's Softball Complex, winning game one on a Emma Alfonso walk-off home run 3-2 and dropping the nightcap 2-1. The Wolves' win puts head coach Lonny Sargent on the brink of a career milestone, as the victory was his 299th of his career.
 
The Wildcats (19-8, 7-7 GNAC) struck early in game one with a pair of RBI doubles in the opening two innings.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the third, Alfonso blasted a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall to pull Western Oregon (11-14, 4-6 GNAC) within a run, 2-1. That score held until the last frame when Ku'ulei Siolo walked after a 10-pitch battle with CWU pitcher Kayla Smith. Courtney Lau Hee ran for Siolo and advance to third after a sacrifice bunt and a groundout to the pitcher. Alfonso stepped to the plate and worked the count full before lifting a ball deep to right field. CWU outfielder Michaela Hazlett got her glove on the ball, but as she crashed into the outfield wall, the ball popped out of the leather and over the wall.
 
Alfonso's game-winning blast capped a 3-for-4 game and earned the win in the circle for WOU pitcher Alyson Boytz. The senior hurler improved to 5-3 on the season throwing a four-hit complete game with four strikeouts.
 
CWU opened game two with a RBI single in the first and added a key insurance run in the sixth inning with a pinch-hit RBI single.
 
Western Oregon scored a responding run quickly in the bottom half of the sixth. Alfonso led off with a double to right-center and scored on a single down the right-field line from Destiny Kuehl. The Wolves got a pair of runners into scoring position with two outs, but could not get the potential tying and go-ahead runners across the plate.
 
Sammi Cadwallader took the hard luck loss in the nightcap yielding two runs in eight hits with four strikeouts.
 
WOU was held to five hits with each of the top five in the lineup collecting one hit.
 
The Wolves return to Hillsboro on Saturday for a double dip with league-leading Saint Martin's, beginning at 1 p.m. WOU dropped a pair of games to the Saints in Lacey on Tuesday.