Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Western Washington University softball team split a doubleheader on the road at Concordia, winning the first game 4-3 and dropping the nightcap 6-3 at Porter Park.

WWU is 10-6 on the season and recorded its third GNAC doubleheader split of the season to move to 3-3 in conference play. From start to finish, the doubleheader took nearly eight hours to complete due to a 3-hour, 14-minute rain delay in the first game.

Freshman Mackenzie Palmer (Federal Way, WA/Todd Beamer) and junior Makinlee Sellevold (Everett, WA/Cascade) each went 3-for-8 with a run scored in the doubleheader, with Sellevold recording a pair of RBI. Freshman Paityn Cyr (Mount Vernon, WA) hit her first collegiate home run, a three-run shot in the top of the first inning of the first game.

Freshman starting pitcher Anna Kasner (Milton, WA/Fife) continued to dazzle on the mound, earning the win in the first game behind another double-digit strikeout performance. Kasner scattered 6 hits and 3 runs, while striking out 11 for her third consecutive start with at least 10 strikeouts.

Junior Emily Benson (West Richland, WA/Kamiakin) had her 14-game hitting streak snapped in the first game, but had an run-scoring single in the second game to increase her team-leading RBI total to 19 on the season.

The Vikings GNAC doubleheader scheduled for tomorrow at Western Oregon has been postponed due to forecasted rain and unplayable field conditions. WWU returns home next week hosting Central Washington (Saturday) and Saint Martin's (Sunday) to conference doubleheaders starting at noon at Viking Field.

The Vikings scored three runs in the top of the first inning on the first collegiate home run by Paityn Cyr, and added another run in the 2nd inning to beat Concordia 4-3 in the first game of Saturday's GNAC doubleheader.

After Cyr launched the three-run HR to right field with two outs in the top of the first, the game was halted in a 3-hour, 14-minute rain delay during the bottom of the first inning. The game resumed with the bases loaded and one out, with the Cavaliers scoring a pair of runs off Anna Kasner.

The Vikings and Cavaliers each scored a run in the second inning to keep WWU in the lead at 4-3, but from there both pitchers settled in to record complete games.

Kasner (5-2) earned the win while recording her fifth complete game of the season. The reigning NFCA Division II National Pitcher of the Week allowed a hit in each of the first six innings, but tossed a perfect seventh inning to close out the victory. She registered 11 strikeouts for her fifth double-digit strikeout performance of the season, and third consecutive.

Western Washington 4, Concordia 3 (Mar 11, 2017 at Portland, OR) (Game 1)----------------------------------------------------------------------Western Washington.. 310 000 0 -  4  4  0      (10-5, 3-2 GNAC)Concordia........... 210 000 0 -  3  6  1      (8-10, 1-4 GNAC)----------------------------------------------------------------------Western Washington - Kasner and HughesConcordia - Boucher and JohnsonWin-Kasner (5-2)  Loss-Boucher (4-5)  T-2:45HR WWU - Cyr (1)Weather: Rain Delay of 3:14 (Bottom of 1st inning)

The Vikings bid for its first conference doubleheader sweep of the season fell short with a 6-3 loss in the nightcap.

The game was knotted at 2-2 until the Cavaliers scored four 2-out runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

WWU made a comeback attempt in the top of the 7th inning, recording four consecutive hits to pull to within 3 runs at 6-3. With the bases loaded and no outs, Concordia called on game one starter Mattie Boucher to come in relief and retired the next three batters to record her first save of the season.

Sellevold (2-5) was saddled with the loss for the Vikings allowing 8 hits and 6 runs in 5.2 innings. She helped her own cause going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI in the game.

Palmer went 3-for-4 to raise her season batting average to .385 (20-for-52), second-best on the team behind Benson's .500 average (22-for-44).

Concordia 6, Western Washington 3 (Mar 11, 2017 at Portland, OR) (Game 2)----------------------------------------------------------------------Western Washington.. 100 010 1 -  3 10  0      (10-6, 3-3 GNAC)Concordia........... 101 004 X -  6  8  0      (9-10, 2-4 GNAC)----------------------------------------------------------------------Western Washington - Sellevold; Labasan (6) and RichardsConcordia - Muir; Lambourn (1); Boucher (7) and JohnsonWin-Lambourn (2-3)  Save-Boucher (1)  Loss-Sellevold (2-3)  T-2:01  A-121Weather: Partly Cloudy