Box Score Feb. 8, 2018 Box Score
ST. GEORGE, Utah - The Western Washington University softball team completed the first day of the 2018 Dixie State Easton Classic with a pair of losses on Thursday, falling to Hawai'i-Hilo 6-5 and then 16-0 to nationally-ranked No. 9 Dixie State.
The 15-team tournament is being hosted by Dixie State University in St. George, Utah at the Canyons Softball Complex
Today's losses drop the Vikings to 0-7 on the season.
Sophomore pitcher Anna Kasner started the second game of the day against Dixie State and recorded her 200th career strikeout in the first inning. She is one of just nine pitchers in program history to pass 200 strikeouts in a career and she is the current leader averaging 8.88 strikeouts per 7.0 innings pitched.
The Vikings return to action tomorrow and Saturday with two games each day. WWU plays California Baptist (10:00 am MT/9:00 am PT) and Colorado State-Pueblo (5:30 pm MT/4:30 pm PT) tomorrow, and then completes tournament play Saturday against Colorado School of Mines (12:30 pm MT/11:30 am PT) and Fort Lewis (3:00 pm MT/2:00 pm PT).
Hawai'i-Hilo 6, WWU 5 Box Score | Game Book
The Vikings out-hit Hawai'i-Hilo 11-9, but a first-inning grand slam proved to be the difference in a 6-5 loss against the Vulcans to open the tournament. WWU scored five runs over its final two at-bats, but had its comeback attempt again fall just short.
The defeat moved the Vikings to 0-6 on the season, with the last two setbacks coming in one-run games. Hawai'i-Hilo improved to 6-2 on the season with the win.
UHH catcher Brinell Kaleikini gave the Vulcans the early lead with her grand slam in the first inning off starting pitcher Shearyna Labasan.
WWU's deficit grew to 6-0 when UHH scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the 4th inning.
The Vikings comeback started in the top of the 5th inning when senior right fielder Carlie Richards led off the inning with a solo home run to left field.
WWU cut the UHH lead to one run in the top of the 6th inning. Labasan led off the inning with a single and scored on Rylie Wales single and error by the UHH right fielder. Sophomore shortstop Paityn Cyr followed with a 2-run home run to left-center field to bring the game to a two-run game at 6-4. Sophomore center fielder Jackie Lucido tabbed a one-out single, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Richards. With the tying run in scoring position, freshmen Sierra Tibbetts and Erica Hardy were retired to keep the score at 6-5.
The Vikings again put the potential tying run in scoring position in the top of the 7th inning when Labasan drilled a one-out double to center field, but was stranded when UHH reliever Leah Gonzalez retired the next two batters in order on a strikeout and groundout to end the game.
Labasan went 4-for-4 at the plate to raise her season batting average to .571 (12-for-21), but was saddled with the loss in the circle to fall to 0-3 on the season. The junior allowed 9 hits and 6 runs (4 ER) in 6.0 innings, strikeout 4 and walking 3.
Richards went 2-for-2 with 2 RBI, and recorded her 19th career hit-by-pitch to move into 2nd-place in the WWU career record book. Cyr hit her team-leading third home run of the season.
UHH starting pitcher Cyanne Fernandez moved to 5-0 on the season allowing 10 hits and 5 runs in 5.1 innings. Gonzalez notched her first save of the season allowing 1 hit in 1.2 scoreless innings of relief work.
Hawai'i Hilo 6, Western Washington 5 (Feb 08, 2018 at St. George, UT)----------------------------------------------------------------------Western Washington.. 000 014 0 - 5 11 3 (0-6)Hawai'i Hilo........ 400 200 X - 6 9 1 (6-2)----------------------------------------------------------------------Western Washington - Labasan and HardyHawai'i Hilo - Fernandez; Derleth(6); Gonzales(6) and KaleikiniWin-Fernandez (5-0) Save-Gonzales (1) Loss-Labasan (0-3) T-2:21 A-35HR WWU - Cyr (3); Richards (1); HR UHH - Kaleikini(1)Weather: Sunny, clear, 44 degrees
Dixie State 16, WWU 0 (5 innings) Box Score | Game Book
WWU was limited to one hit, a one-out single in the bottom of the 5th inning, in a 16-0 loss against No. 9 Dixie State in the second game of the day. The game was shortened to five innings due to the run rule.
The game was scoreless through the first two innings before DSU took the lead with a pair of runs in the 3rd inning. Dixie then exploded for 11 runs in the top of the 4th inning, with the Vikings committing four errors in the inning.
WWU starting pitcher Anna Kasner (0-3) allowed 7 hits and 12 runs in 4.2 innings, but 6 of the runs were unearned as the Vikings committed a season-high 6 errors.
WWU's lone hit came from freshman Lauren Lo, who recorded a pinch-hit single down the left field line in the bottom of the 5th inning.
Dixie starting pitcher Cambrie Hazel (2-0) picked up the win allowing only two baserunners (both walks) in 3.0 innings of work. Catcher Jessica Gonzalez (2-for-3, 3 RBI, HR) and left fielder Brenna Hinck (2-for-2) both recorded multi-hit games for the Trailblazers.
Dixie State 16, Western Washington 0 (Feb 08, 2018 at St. George, UT)----------------------------------------------------------------------Dixie State......... 002 (11)3 - 16 9 0 (4-0)Western Washington.. 000 0 0 - 0 1 6 (0-7)----------------------------------------------------------------------Dixie State - Hazel; Barkwell (4) and Gonzalez; DiazWestern Washington - Kasner; VanRiper (5) and Matthews; HardyWin-Hazel (2-0) Loss-Kasner (0-3) T-1:58 A-45HR DIXIE - Bassett; Gonzalez; HinckWeather: 71 degrees, Sunny
