The CWU Wildcats softball split a doubleheader with the Western Washington University Vikings on Sunday May 2 winning 4-1 in game one and falling 5-1 in game two. With the one win, they clinched the 2nd seed in the upcoming Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament that starts May 8. They will take on the No. 3 seed WWU Vikings to start that tournament.

The Wildcats (17-14 overall  9-7 GNAC) took game one on the back of the pitching of junior Samantha Stainfield. Stanifield ( 6-4 3.05 ERA) pitched six innings giving up just eight hits, one earned run and one strikeout. Senior Lexi Stausser closed it out with a scoreless bottom of the seventh for her second save of the season.

The Wildcats got on the board first after senior Alycia Bannon singled to start the top of the second and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a flyout and a strikeout, sophomore Myiah Seaton singled Bannon to third and senior Sydney Brown singled both of them home but was thrown out attempting to advance to third base.

The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the third where the WWU Vikings got back to back two out singles which the latter was able to bring across a run after a stolen base to make it 2-1.

The Wildcats immediately answered in the top of the fourth with a walk to Bannon and senior Maddie Zer being HBP. After both runners were replaced with pinch runners, a flyout that advanced both runners and a strikeout put runners on second and third with two outs. Sydney Brown again came up big by putting the ball in play to the shortstop.  The shortstop made a good throw, but the first baseman dropped it allowing both runners to score. 

Stainfield took it from there and induced 11 ground ball outs through her six innings of work. 

Game two was more of a struggle for the Wildcats as they took on Vikings ace Anna Kasner, who had the day before taken a no-hitter into the sixth inning of eventual 2-1 Wildcat win. Kasner was also just four strikeouts away from becoming the GNAC’s all time strikeout leader. 

The Wildcats had a chance in the first when they loaded the bases with two outs, but were unable to cash it in when sophomore Alysa Bentagen struk out to end the inning. Kasner at one point retired 13 batters in a row. The Wildcats got on the board in top of the sixth on a two out RBI single by Alicia Bannon, but by then it was too little too late for any sort of comeback.

Junior Isabell Womback (3-5 9.08 ERA) took the loss despite pitching 2.2 innings giving up 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. 

Fast Fact

Team Leaders:

Average: Theresa Moyle .380

Hits: Theresa Moyle 38

Stolen Bases: Harlee Carpenter 8

Wins: Samantha Stanfield 6

ERA: Samantha Stanfield 3.05

Saves: Lexi Strasser 2