Maddie Mayer
Amanda Loman
1
Western Oregon WOU 13-16
2
Winner Northwest Nazarene NNU 29-10
Western Oregon WOU
13-16
1
Final
2
Northwest Nazarene NNU
29-10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Western Oregon WOU 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0
Northwest Nazarene NNU 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 6 1

W: Booth,Sidney (14-2) L: Mayer, Maddie (4-6)

Game Recap: Softball | | Brian Kortz

Softball Goes Right Down to The Wire With Top-Seed Nighthawks at GNAC Championships

MONMOUTH, Ore. -- Fittingly these two teams would go right to the final inning with the game tied before deciding a winner. Having split the eight regular season matchups, the Western Oregon University softball team took an early lead and after Northwest Nazarene tied the game up, the Nighthawks were able to walk it off with an RBI single in the seventh to take the 2-1 win over the Wolves during the opening day of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships on Thursday at the WOU Softball Field.

It was a pitcher's duel throughout the day between Sidney Booth and Maddie Mayer, as both worked out of jams to keep the game tied.

In the opening inning, NNU (29-10) got a runner to second, but Mayer collected a foul out and ground out to leave the runner stranded.

In the top of the second inning, WOU (13-16) broke through first. The Wolves, playing as the road team because of being the fourth seed in the tournament, opened the frame strong when Chandler Bishop launched her seventh home run of the season on a 1-2 pitch to center for the 1-0 lead. The Wolves kept the pressure on in the inning, with Sydney Bowers singling and Allyson Drury reaching on an error before Booth tallied a fly out and strikeout to end the threat.

In the third, WOU had two runners on with Logan Carlos being hit-by-pitch and Bishop intentionally walked, before a pop out ended the inning. The Nighthawks evened the score in the home half of the third. With a leadoff single and sacrifice bunt moving the runner to second, a ground out would push the lead runner to third with two outs. A single up the middle brought in the run to tie the game at one. Mayer was able to limit the damage getting a ground out to leave runners at first and second.

The Wolves had a chance to bring in a few runs in the fifth. Hannah Stewart opened the inning with a single and then Aleya Turner laid down a perfect bunt for a single to put runners at first and second. After two outs were recorded, Bishop was intentionally walked again to load the bases. Booth was able to get a pop out to second to keep the game tied at one.

With neither team able to amount much pressure over the next inning-plus, the game would move to the bottom of the seventh still tied at one. NNU got things going right away with a single by Tori Hensley off the first pitch. She would move to second on a wild pitch and then to third on a sacrifice bunt. Madison Strickler drove in the winning run singling on a 0-1 pitch to left to give the Nighthawks the 2-1 victory.

NNU held a 6-4 edge in hits with Turner, Bishop, Bowers and Stewart all recording hits for the Wolves. In the circle, Mayer went all 6.1 innings to end up with the hard-luck loss (4-6), allowing just the two earned runs, along with a walk and two strikeouts.

Ivy Hommel and Strickler led the Nighthawks with two hits apiece, while Hommel and Strickler both drove in a run. In the circle, Booth went all seven innings to collect her 14th win (14-2) of the season, allowing just the one earned run, along with three walks and eight strikeouts.

With the results from the first day with Western Washington defeating Saint Martin's, 1-0, that means Northwest Nazarene and Western Washington will open the day on Friday with the first game at 9:30 a.m. The winner will advance to the championship game on Saturday. WOU will face Saint Martin's in the middle game tomorrow (Friday) at 12:30 p.m. The winner from that game will advance to face the losing team from the first game on Friday of Western Washington/Northwest Nazarene at 3:30 p.m.

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