CLERMONT, Fla. – The Western Oregon softball team swept their doubleheader on Saturday at the PFX Athletics Tournament, beating Findlay 8-2 before a tight 3-2 walk-off win over Minnesota State-Mankato to cap the day.
Western Oregon (6-1) improved to 3-1 in the four-day tournament with the pair of wins, not allowing multiple runs in an inning through the 14 frames played Saturday.
In game one of their day, the Wolves utilized a six-run fourth inning to pull away from Findlay (3-3). WOU strung together eight straight hits and nine consecutive reaches in the inning to knock starter Hailey Bryan out of the game.
Ayanna Arceneaux singled to score
Sydney Bowers and
Cheyanne Rimer to highlight the scoring. Arceneaux finished the day 4-for-6 over the two games, scoring a run and knocking in three RBI.
Maddie McClelland (1-0) threw five innings in the start, allowing one run on three hits. She struck out two and walked two while facing 20 batters.
Both Bowers and Rimer recorded three-hit, two-run games in the opener.
After scattering 18 hits throughout game one, offense came at more of a premium in the Wolves' second game of the day against Minnesota State-Mankato (4-5).
Mackenzie Ward (2-5) threw six shutout innings before allowing the decisive runs on Saturday.
The Mavericks scored immediately, picking up a run in the first on a sacrifice fly to right by Torey Richards. That lead was extended to 2-0 in the fourth when Emma Schifferle led off with a solo home run to center.
The homer would be the only earned run allowed by
Haley Fabian (3-0) in the complete game win. Fabian struck out six and did not issue a walk while allowing seven hits.
Trailing 2-0 heading to the bottom of the seventh, the Wolves had their backs to the wall with three outs left to play and a multi-run deficit.
Kennedy Coy led off the inning with a two-base error reach before scoring on an Arceneaux RBI single to put the tying run on base and make it a 2-1 Mavericks lead. A second error by the left side of the Minnesota State infield allowed
Tyler Creach aboard representing the winning run.
Down to their final out, first baseman
Jenna Kelly singled to score Arceneaux and tie the game. In the next at-bat,
Mariah Deleon delivered the fatal blow, singling in Creach for the walk-off win.
Arceneaux and Creach were the only players to finish both games with multiple hits. Creach went a combined 4-for-8 with one run and one RBI.
The Wolves resume play in day three of the tournament Sunday with another doubleheader. WOU takes on Tiffin (OH) at 6 a.m. PST and Malone (OH) at 8:15 a.m. PST on March 3 at Hancock Field.
