Box Score 1 LACEY, Wash. – The opening of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference featured just about everything for the Western Oregon University softball team on Saturday at Saint Martin's. Not only did the Wolves battle a tough Saints team, but along with the weather, the teams went 10 innings and were delayed during the middle of the game before Saint Martin's posted a walk-off 12-11 victory over the Wolves. The teams tried to play the second game, but could only play the top of the first inning with WOU leading 1-0 before the game was called due to darkness.
WOU (10-9, 0-1 GNAC) outhit Saint Martin's (6-4, 1-0 GNAC) 18-15, as the 18 hits is tied for the fourth most in the program's NCAA era. It was the most hits since the team posted 18 against Findlay last year.
Twice in the game the Saints came back to send the game to extra innings, before the third comeback led to the victory.
Eight Wolves had at least a hit, with Kennedy Coy, Ayanna Arceneaux, Nicole Miller and Kiley Lynn all tallying three-hit games to lead WOU. Drury drove in three runs and Lynn added a pair of RBI.
Saint Martin's opened the scoring with two runs in the third and that held up until the fifth. The Wolves got the offense going with six in the inning with all the offense coming with two outs. With Coy on with a single and advanced to second with the second out, Arceneaux singled up the middle and moved all the way to third on an error by the centerfielder as Coy brought in the first run for WOU. Chandler Bishop walked and then Miller tied the game with an RBI single up the middle. Sydney Bowers walked to load the bases for Lynn and she singled to shortstop to push in the third run. Drury hit the first pitch she saw for a single down the right field line to bring in a pair of runs for the 5-2 lead. Logan Carlos then doubled to left-center to bring in the sixth run of the game and leave WOU with a 6-2 lead.
In the sixth, Arceneaux walked and Bishop was hit-by-pitch before the game was delayed by over 40 minutes due to rain. Following the delay, Miller put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up and Bowers brought in the seventh run with an RBI groundout to shortstop for the 7-2 lead.
The Saints refused to go away, coming back with four runs in the home half of the sixth to pull back to within one at 7-6. In the seventh, Saint Martin's came all the way to tie the game at seven and then loaded the bases with no outs with a chance to win the game. Maddie Mayer then got a pop out and a pair of fielder's choice outs to keep the winning run from scoring and sending the game to extra innings.
In the eighth, Miller singled and then pinch-runner Kirah McGlothan moved to second on a walk to Bowers. Lynn singled to right-center to push WOU back in front at 8-7. Drury kept the line moving with an RBI single to right field for the 9-7 lead.
Saint Martin's came right back, with one out and one on, a two-runner homer tied the game again at nine to send the game to the ninth.
WOU threatened to regain the lead with Arceneaux, Bishop and Lynn all on to load the bases, but a lineout ended the frame and sent the game to the bottom of the ninth. The Saints got a leadoff double and later moved the runner to third, before Mayer got a big strikeout to end the inning and move the game to the 10th.
The teams then played with the international tiebreaking rules putting the runner that made the last out the previous inning and placing them on second. With Drury on second, Carlos moved her to third with a sacrifice bunt. Coy then tripled on the first pitch she saw down the right field line to move WOU back ahead 10-9. Tyler Creach made it an 11-9 game when she hit a sacrifice fly to center.
Saint Martin's came right back again, taking advantage of a few WOU errors to plate the tying runs. With the winning run at second, Mayer got a groundout and fly out before a two-out RBI double walked it off for the Saints at 12-11 in 10 innings.
Olivia Schmidt and Julia Lucas led the Saints with three-hit games. Schmidt drove in three runs.
In the circle, Mayer went all 9.2 innings for WOU and ended up with the hard-luck loss (5-3) allowing the 12 runs (nine earned) and added two strikeouts while throwing 177 pitches. Brandi Schoessler went all 10 innings for Saint Martin's to get her fourth win (4-2) allowing 11 runs (10 earned), adding three strikeouts and throwing 184 pitches.
The second game was postponed due to darkness in the bottom of the first with WOU ahead 1-0. The teams will likely play that game when Saint Martin's visits WOU in Monmouth on Apr. 5.
WOU will travel to Ellensburg Sunday to face Central Washington with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. The Wildcats opened GNAC play with a sweep of Concordia on Saturday, winning the first game, 5-2, and game two, 9-7.
