April 2, 2011
Box Score - Northwest Nazarene
Box Score - Cal State East Bay
Box Score - San Francisco State
TURLOCK, Calif. - Western Washington University pitcher Erika Quint (Sr., Silverdale/Central Kitsap) won twice, setting a school season record for wins, as the Vikings advanced to Sunday's championship bracket by winning all three of their games Saturday to remain unbeaten at the Cal State Stanislaus Tournament of Champions being held at Pedretti Park.
The Vikings, ranked No.6 in this week's National Fastpitch Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, improved to 26-4 overall and are 5-0 in tourney play. On Saturday, they defeated Northwest Nazarene, 5-1; Cal State East Bay, 2-1; and San Francisco State, 4-2.
Quint is unbeaten in 19 decisions this season, breaking the school record of 18 set by her sister Jackie in 2007. Quint's overall consecutive wins streak of 20 is one short of the GNAC record and she is the first pitcher in conference history to open a season with 19 straight victories.
Quint, who has won four games in the tourney, worked the first six innings of the 5-1 victory over Northwest Nazarene (10-17). She gave up just one run and one hit, striking out nine and walking two.
Northwest Nazarene got its only run in the bottom of the first inning when Elizabeth Beaty walked, went to second on an illegal pitch and scored on a single to left field by Haley Hevern.
The Crusaders' lead stood until the fourth inning when Western scored four runs.
Jackie Rothenberger (So., Coquitlam, B.C./Gleneagle Secondary) hit a leadoff home run, her second of the season. Stephanie Fox (Jr., Sammamish/Eastlake) drove in another run with a double, and Jessica Carey (Jr., Everett) had a two-run single as the Vikings batted around.
Western scored another run in the fifth, Krista Bickar (Jr., Hoquiam) leading off with a double and scoring on a two-out single by Caitlin Dotlich (Sr., Sedro-Woolley/Burlington-Edison).
Rothenberger and Michelle Wrigley (Sr., Bothell/Inglemoor) each had two of the Vikings' 11 hits. Wrigley led off the game with her 13th double of the season.
Devyn Baker (Fr., Montesano) pitched the seventh inning for Western, allowing one single. That runner was wiped out on a game-ending double play.
Jenna DeRosier (Fr., Kelso) (5-2) became the first Viking pitcher other then Quint to record a victory since March 13, scattering eight hits, all singles, in the 2-1 win over Cal State East Bay (15-18).
Western scored both of its runs in the bottom of the fourth. Jordan Emmil (Jr., Colville) doubled in one run and Fox knocked in the other with a single.
CSUEB rallied in the seventh as Heidi McAllister singled and scored on a one-out double by Emily Montanez. After a flyout, Kassandra Winger singled to right, but Meghan Carrillo (Fr., Prunedale, CA/North Monterey County) threw out pinch runner Cassidy Zeiner, who was attempting to score, to end the game.
In the 4-2 win over SFSU (11-23), Quint gave up just four hits, striking out eight and walking three. She allowed single runs in the second and third innings before retiring 13 of the last 14 Gator batters. The only SFSU base runner during that stretch reached on a hit by pitch.
Western scored three runs in the second. Rothenberger doubled and Dotlich, Fox and Wrigley each drove in runs with singles.
Fox plated another run with a single in the fourth. She finished the day 4-for-7 with four runs batted in and two runs scored.
Carrillo and Wrigley also had four hits each for the Vikings.
Western faces Chico State in a semifinal Gold bracket game Sunday at 12:15 p.m. The Wildcats also are unbeaten in five tourney contests and are 19-7 overall.
