ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Western Oregon University softball team used a pair of big innings in game one to defeat Central Washington, 6-4. The Wildcats came back to take game two, 3-1, in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play Wednesday at Frederick Field.
In games that were originally scheduled to be played in Monmouth this past weekend, the series was moved to Ellensburg this week. Despite the games being played in Ellensburg, the Wolves were the home team.
In the opener, having not played since Apr. 11, WOU (10-12, 6-8 GNAC) opened the scoring in the second. Chandler Bishop singled and moved to second on a single by Baylie Kahele. Sydney Bowers then laid down a bunt that was misplayed by the first baseman resulting in an error and brought Bishop around for the 1-0 lead.
CWU (14-11, 6-4 GNAC) tallied three runs in the fourth to open a 3-1 lead. WOU came right back in the home half of the inning.
Bishop and Kahele each walked to open the frame. Following a strikeout, a passed ball moved both runners up. Allyson Drury drove in a run with an RBI groundout to second. Kirah McGlothan closed the scoring in the inning when she hit a ball out to short that resulted in an error to score Kahele and tie the game at three.
WOU put the game away in the fifth. Isabelle Lewis singled and moved to second on a bunt by Aleya Turner. After a foul out marked the second out, the Wolves put together a two-out rally. Zoie Recolan singled down the first base line to put runners at the corners. Down 0-2 in the count, Bishop delivered with a big single to right to scored Lewis. Kahele then capped the inning with a single up the middle to score two more runs and push WOU to a 6-3 lead.
CWU scored a run back in the sixth and then Maddie Mayer shut the door in the seventh when she got a 1-2-3 inning to give WOU the 6-4 win.
CWU held a 7-6 edge in hits with Bishop and Kahele leading the Wolves with two hits apiece. Recolan and Lewis added a hit each. In the circle, Mayer went all seven innings for the complete game win (3-4) allowing four earned runs and tallied two strikeouts to just one walk.
Alyssa Benthagen went 3-3 to lead CWU driving in two runs. Alycia Bannan added two RBI. In the circle, Samantha Stanfield went five innings and ended up with the loss (3-4) giving up six runs (four earned). Ashlee Laver went the final inning and didn't allow a baserunner.
Game two featured chances for both teams, but clutch hits were tough to come by. CWU broke through first with a run in the third. In the home half of the fourth, WOU evened the score.
Bishop walked and pinch-runner Sophie Franklin moved to third on a single to right-center by Kahele. On the next ball put in play that resulted in a double-play, Franklin scored to tie the game at one.
The Wildcats reclaimed the lead in the fifth scoring what would turn out to be the winning run. They would add another run in the sixth to stretch the lead to 3-1. WOU got a runner on in the seventh when McGlothan singled, but that would be the only baserunner over the final two innings with CWU taking the 3-1 victory.
WOU held a 7-4 edge in hits with the top two in the order generating the hits with Turner and Logan Carlos both going 2-4. In the circle, Reilly Tidwell started and went the first 4.1 innings to end up with the loss (2-5) allowing two earned runs. Erica Soliz went the final 2.2 innings and allowed just one unearned run.
Alee Cruz, batting ninth, had two hits to lead the Wildcats. In the circle, Isabel Womack went all seven innings for the complete game victory (3-3) allowing just one earned run.
WOU and CWU will close their four-game series tomorrow (Thursday) with another doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
