MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon softball team cruised to a doubleheader sweep of Saint Martin's on Saturday, winning 7-1, 13-2 (5 inn.) at WOU Softball Field to extend their winning streak to four games.
Haley Fabian threw the 42nd complete game of her collegiate career to collect the win in game one. Fabian (12-3) hurled seven innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits, no walks and setting a new season-high with seven strikeouts. The senior retired 16 of the first 18 batters she saw in the game, keeping the Saints' offense quiet all afternoon.
Western Oregon (29-14, 17-9 GNAC) struck for a run in the first. A two-out throwing error allowed
Tyler Creach to score from third and open the scoring early.
Saint Martin's (20-25, 10-16 GNAC) fought back to a 1-1 tie with their lone run in the top of the fourth. Sabrina Hicks led off with a double and scored two batters later on the sacrifice fly of Alyssa French to center.
The Wolves did not allow the tie to last long, scoring three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings.
Sydney Bowers doubled to lead off the fourth, stealing home later on a throw out to second.
Cheyanne Rimer then capped the fourth's scoring with a two-RBI single to left. Rimer finished game one 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Kennedy Coy tripled off the top of the center field wall in the fifth to score a pair, coming inches away from her first collegiate home run. She scored in the next at-bat on a wild pitch. She was 1-for-3 in the game with two RBI and a run scored to go along with her fourth triple of the season.
Four Wolves are now tied for both the team and conference lead with four triples each – Creach, Coy,
Ryanne Whitaker and
Ayanna Arceneaux.
Game two opened with the Saints holding their only lead of the day when they managed a run without a hit in the first inning.
Hicks was hit by a pitch with one out, stole second and advanced to third on a grounder before scoring on a wild pitch to make it a 1-0 SMU lead.
Chandler Bishop (4-4) didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, recording her second multi-strikeout game of the year in the five-inning victory. She allowed two runs on just three hits, walking two and striking out two.
Western Oregon was able to score each of their five innings at the plate, putting up multiple runs in four of those frames. As a team, they produced three home runs, their second-highest single-game total of the season.
Cheyanne Rimer produced the first of those homers, a two-run dinger in the first.
Ayanna Arceneaux followed with a three-run shot in the second and
Mariah Deleon capped the day with a walk-off grand slam in the fifth to engage the mercy rule.
WOU came up with 13 team hits in game two, their highest total since a 14-hit performance March 25 also against Saint Martin's.
Deleon was 3-for-4 at the plate in the start, scoring twice and picking up four RBI.
Rimer went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI.
Arceneaux was never retired Saturday, finishing a combined 3-for-3 with two runs, three RBI and three walks. Two of those walks were intentional passes.
The pair of wins has pushed head coach
Lonny Sargent's total to 199 wins at the helm of the Wolves.
The Wolves close out the regular season by hosting Central Washington Sunday. The doubleheader will include Senior Day honors for
Haley Fabian,
Jenna Kelly,
Cheyanne Rimer and
Ryanne Whitaker. First pitch April 28 is set for 12 p.m. PDT at WOU Softball Field.