MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon University softball team waited a long time to get its Great Northwest Athletic Conference record above the .500-mark and Monday's doubleheader sweep of Montana State Billings put the club over the mark.
 
WOU scored five times in the bottom the sixth inning to clip the Yellowjackets by a score of 9-6. Another five-run inning in the nightcap led the Wolves to a 7-3 victory to take the first two games of the four-game series. Western Oregon improved to 20-19 overall and 10-8 in GNAC play. MSUB falls to 10-30 on the year and 2-16 in GNAC play with the losses.
 
Junior outfielder Emma Alfonso went 5-for-8 with two RBI and three runs scored in the two games, including a solo home run. Junior first basman Ashlee Lynch in the series opener and junior shortstop Lexi Jennings in game two each had three runs knocked home.
 
Western Oregon combined for 22 hits in the doubleheader, one less than the Yellowjackets' total of 23.
 
The Wolves and MSUB will complete their four-game series Tuesday with a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m. in Monmouth.
 
GAME ONE – Western Oregon 9, Montana State Billings 6
Western Oregon junior pitcher Sammi Cadwallader threw two hitless innings in relief while the Wolves scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 9-6 victory.
 
The Wolves took an early 4-0 lead after an inning. Destiny Kuehl singled up the middle plating two runs and Ashlee Lynch followed with a two-run home run to left field. MSUB immediately countered with four runs in the second inning and two more in the fourth for a 6-4 advantage that held until the Wolves final at-bats.
 
The five scores to push the Wolves ahead did not come with a little luck and some good bounces. Senior designated player Brandy Knowles singled. Junior catcher Mercedes Green hit a ball right at the dish and ran to first base. One of the base umpires initially called a foul ball, but Green was ruled to have singled after a conference of the officials deemed the ball was still live. A sacrifice bunt attempt from freshman outfielder Ryanne Huffman was misplayed by the catcher to load the bases. A hot shot off the bat of junior Kelsie Gardner got past the first baseman for the tying runs to score. Alfonso bounced the eventual game-winning hit up the middle to plate Huffman. Later in the frame, a RBI walk drawn by Jennings preceded a sacrifice fly from Lynch to close out the rally.
 
Cadwallader allowed two runners aboard before getting a double play on pop-up and a strikeout to end the game, improving to 7-2 on the season.
 
GAME TWO – Western Oregon 7, Montana State Billings 3
The doubleheader sweep came to fruition when the Wolves posted five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning supporting the starting pitching effort of freshman Haley Fabian.
 
Like the opener, the Wolves scored early runs to take a 2-0 lead. Gardner scored from third after an error by the MSUB shortstop on a Kuehl grounder. Jennings doubled to center field to get Kuehl home all the way from first base.
 
MSUB notched a single run in the second and fifth innings to pull even at 2-2.
 
Alfonso, again, came up with the game-winner with a laser shot to left field for a solo homer. Three batters later, Jennings added a two-run homer with a moon shot to center field. Green and sophomore Alex Frazier cashed in insurance runs with singles to push the lead to 7-2.
 
Fabian tossed six innings of three-run, 11-hit ball with two strikeouts to earn the win. Cadwallader allowed one hit and struck out the final batter of the game closing out the day.