March 30, 2017 Box Score
TURLOCK, Calif. - The Western Washington University softball team was limited to four hits in a 5-1 loss to Sonoma State Thursday evening in a neutral-site, non-conference game at Warrior Softball Field.
The Vikings are 0-3 to start their nine-game California road trip and have dropped a season-high five consecutive games to fall to 12-11 on the season. WWU will now play six games over the next three days in the Tournament of Champions hosted by Stanislaus State.
The Vikings and Seawolves were scoreless through the first two innings before Sonoma plated four runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Catcher Sarah Langley provided the big blow with a two-out, three-run double to left-center field that eluded the outstretched arms of freshman center fielder Mackenzie Palmer (Federal Way, WA/Todd Beamer).
SSU extended its lead to 5-0 with a single tally in the bottom of the 4th inning, before WWU would get on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the 5th inning. Junior right fielder Carlie Richards (Richland, WA/Kamiakin) led off the inning with a double down the right field line and scored on a two-out double down the left field line by Palmer.
Freshman starting pitcher Anna Kasner (Milton, WA/Fife) was saddled with the loss allowing 7 hits and 5 runs in the complete-game effort. Kasner struck out 9 batters and walked 4 to fall to 6-5 on the season. In 13 appearances/12 starts this season, Kasner has recorded 103 strikeouts for a 10.60 strikeouts per 7.0 innings ratio.
Junior third baseman Makinlee Sellevold (Everett, WA/Cascade) accounted for two of the Vikings four hits going 2-for-3 with her fifth double of the season.
Teresa Danenberg allowed 4 hits and 1 run over 6.0 innings to record the victory for Sonoma State, improving to 5-2 on the season. The Seawolves have won 14 of their last 15 games to improve to 24-8 on the season.
Western opens play in the Tournament of 26-team Tournament of Champions Friday with games against Academy of Art (4:30 pm) and San Francisco State (7:00 pm) at the Pedretti Sports Complex (Field #3) in Turlock.
Game Notes: Emily Benson was 0-for-3 at the plate to have her streak of reaching base safely snapped at 22 consecutive games...Anna Kasner's 103 strikeouts are already 8th-most in single-season WWU history...Mackenzie Palmer (8 games), Carlie Richards (6 games) and Makinlee Sellevold (6 games) all extended their current hitting streaks...Sonoma State has beaten WWU in 8 of the last 9 meetings in the series...the Vikings have been outscored 37-10 during the current 5-game losing streak.
Sonoma State 5, Western Washington 1 (Mar 30, 2017 at Turlock, CA)----------------------------------------------------------------------Western Washington.. 000 010 0 - 1 4 0 (12-11)Sonoma State........ 004 100 X - 5 7 0 (24-8)----------------------------------------------------------------------Western Washington - Kasner and HughesSonoma State - Danenberg; Tokunaga and LangleyWin-Danenberg(5-2) Loss-Kasner (6-5) T-1:51 A-63Weather: 61-degrees, Windy
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