MONMOUTH, Ore.—Belting back-to-back home runs in both sides of the doubleheader, Western Oregon split a pair of GNAC softball games, 5-2 and 2-10, against Western Washington on Sunday.
With the split, both teams lost their first conference games of the season. Western Oregon moved to 10-4 on the season and 3-1 in the GNAC while Western Washington ended the day at 13-6 overall and 7-1 in league play.
Western Oregon will return to action on Wednesday, March 13 by stepping out of conference play to host Nothwest Christian University. Opening pitch is set for 1 p.m. at the WOU Softball Field.
Game 1: Western Oregon def. Western Washington, 5-2
Opening the bottom of the 2nd inning,
Cheyanne Rimer and
Jenna Kelly blasted home runs for Western Oregon to boost the home side to a 5-2 win in the opening game against Western Washington.
The Wolves added to the early 2-0 lead with a 3-run 4th as the team used three hits and two walk to provide the 5-0 cushion. Alyson Drury drove in the initial run via a double to left that plated Rimer.
A day after notching seven RBI,
Tyler Creach added two more to her total with a two-out single to score Kelly and Drury.
Handed the big lead,
Chandler Bishop (1-1) allowed two runs on five hits while nearly posting a shutout. Down to their final out, the Vikings got on the board with Seli Aholelei launching a 2-run homer to left.
Bishop struck out four and walked just one batter in the win.
Game 2: Western Washington def. Western Oregon, 10-2 (6 inn.)
Powered by a grand slam by Jackie Lucido in the game-changing 5th, Western Washington handed WOU its first mercy-rule loss of the season with a 10-2 victory in the nightcap.
The Vikings got a single run on the board in the 1st and doubled its advantage in the 3rd.
After hitting the first of consecutive home runs by WOU in the opening game,
Cheyanne Rimer followed teammate
Sydney Bowers' blast in the home half of the 4th to cut the deficit to 3-2.
WWU, however, sent nine batters to the plate in the next inning with Lucido clearing the bases for an 8-2 lead. Cylie Richards followed with a home run shot of her own while Makinlee Sellevold went yard in the 6th for the team's 10th run of the game.
WWU outhit the home side 14-to-7 with leadoff hitter and starting pitcher Shearyna Labasan setting the table with a 3-for-4 day at the plate that featured a pair of doubles.
