March 2, 2006
Box Score
RICHLAND, Wash. - Devin Dykstra (So., Sumas/Nooksack Valley) and Cortney Walton (Jr., Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) each hit two-run homers as Western Washington University broke out of a hitting slump to defeat Seattle University, 7-2, then the Vikings were blanked 8-0 by Humboldt State University in first-day action Thursday at the Central Washington University Invitational Softball Tournament, which runs through Sunday, at the Columbia Playfields.
The Vikings, who dropped to 1-5, entered the day with a .162 batting average, scoring just three runs in their first 30 innings this season. They had a season-high nine hits against Seattle U., but managed just three versus Humboldt State in suffering their third shutout of the campaign.
Seattle, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, fell to 5-6. Humboldt State improved to 13-3, running its victory string to seven.
In the first game, Western opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the second as Amanda Shiflet (Fr., Stanwood) tripled across one run and scored on a double by Ashley Osman (Jr., Federal Way/Jefferson).
Walton hit her two-run shot, the sixth of her career, in the third. In the fourth, Dykstra blasted her first collegiate round tripper over the centerfield fence.
Western's final run came in the seventh as Ashley Barber (Sr., Camas) singled and later scored on a one-out single by Mandy Harvey (Sr., Coeur d'Alene, ID/Lake City).
Harvey and Walton had two hits each for the Vikings.
Western pitcher Jackie Quint (Jr., Silverdale/Central Kitsap), 1-2, picked up the complete game victory. She allowed six hits, walked one and struck out five.
Katie Rojano, 0-3, got the loss for Seattle. The Redhawks scored their two runs in the bottom of the fourth, one being unearned.
In the second game that ended after five innings because of the eight-run mercy rule, Western could not score despite a first-inning triple by Harvey and a third-inning double by Barber. Osman got the Vikings' only other hit off Humboldt State pitcher Tracy Motzny, 7-2, who struck out six and walked two.
Leading the Lumberjack attack was Megan Sutherland, who had three hits, drove in four runs and scored twice.
In the bottom of the third, Sutherland had a leadoff double and scored on a double by Brandi Harrison.
Humboldt State scored four runs in the fourth, all after its first two batters were retired. Carolyn Cameron had the big blow, a two-run double. Sutherland had a two-run single as the Lumberjacks scored three times in the fifth.
Nicole Walker (Jr., Kenmore/Juanita), 0-2, got the loss for Western, giving up five runs, four of them earned, in 3-2/3 innings.
Western plays three games Friday, meeting host Central at 9 a.m., Grand Canyon University at 11:15 a.m. and Northwest Nazarene University at 3:45 p.m.
