ST. GEORGE, Utah – The Western Washington University softball team went 1-1 during the second day of the Dixie State Courtyard Classic, defeating Fort Lewis College 7-1 and falling to No. 21 nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa 7-2. 

 

The Vikings are now 4-3 on the season, and 3-1 in the Courtyard Classic, with all three defeats coming against nationally-ranked teams.

 

Senior starting pitcher Makinlee Sellevold went 1-1 in the circle, starting both games on Friday. She tied her career high in strikeouts with 9 in a complete-game effort vs. Fort Lewis, the second straight start to record 9 strikeouts. It was also her 48^th career victory, bringing her to within one of tying the all-time WWU mark. 

 

Junior center fielder Jackie Lucido led the Vikings at the plate combining to go 3-for-7 with a double, home run and 5 RBI.

 

Despite the final score being 7-2 vs. the No. 21 Mavericks. The Vikings trailed 4-2 entering the final inning and had the potential go-ahead run at the plate. WWU also has lost to No. 7 Chiro State and No. 10 Concordia Irvine in the early part of the season.

 

WWU (4-3) completes play in the Courtyard Classic on Saturday, facing Colorado State Pueblo (11:30 am PT/12:30 pm MT) and tournament host and 17^th-ranked Dixie State (2 pm MT/3 pm PT).  

 

 

The Vikings won their third consecutive win defeating Fort Lewis College 7-1, riding the hot pitching of seniorMakinlee Sellevold and the 4-RBI game by junior center fielder Jackie Lucido.

 

Sellevold recorded the complete-game victory, allowing just 6 hits and one run, and tied her career-high with 9 strikeouts for the second consecutive day. The right-hander improved to 4-2 on the season and lowered her ERA to 1.98 (8 ER, 28.1 IP). The win was the 47^th of her career, pulling to within one of the all-time WWU record of 48 set by Jackie Quint (2004-07) and Amanda Grant (2000-03).

 

Lucido went 2-for-4 with 4 RBI, hitting a 3-run home run in the top of the 2^nd inning that proved to be all the runs the Vikings would need.

 

Senior first baseman Emily Benson added a multi-hit game going 2-for-3 with a double, 2 runs scored and one RBI. Sellevold helped her own cause going 2-for-4 at the plate with one RBI. 

 

The Skyhawks struck first when designated player Angelique Elemen connected on a two-out, solo home run to left field. It was the fourth homer for Eleman on the season, all in the last five games.

 

WWU answered with three runs in the top of the 2^nd inning, with Lucido connecting on her first home run of the season with a 3-run shot over the center field fence.

 

With Sellevold holding FLC scoreless, Western added to its lead with another three-run inning in the top of the 3^rd. Benson plated a run with a double to right-center field and Lucido drove home another run with an infield single. Freshman third baseman Brooke Fesenbek tabbed a two-out single through the left side to extend the lead to 6-1.

 

Leading 7-1, Sellevold wiggled out of a no-out, bases loaded situation in the bottom of the 6^th inning to secure the victory.

 

Fort Lewis starting pitcher Emily Morris (2-3) was saddled with the loss allowing 7 hits and 6 runs (5 ER) in 2.2 innings pitched. Morris entered the game with a 2.23 ERA in 4 appearances (2 starts) and a 0.92 WHIP. Skyhawks leadoff hitter Allison Young went 2-for-3 with a stolen base.

 

 

 

The Vikings battled nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa through the first six innings, and had the tying run on base with no outs in the late innings, but couldn't complete the comeback in a 7-2 loss to the No. 21 Mavericks.

 

After giving up a 3-run home run in the top of the 1^st inning to first baseman AnneMarie Torres, WWU starterMakinlee Sellevold settled down allowing only one unearned run over the remainder of her 3.2 inning start (after going a complete-game 7 innings in WWU's previous game).

 

The Vikings chiseled away at the lead with runs in the bottom of the 1^st inning on sacrifice fly by Emily Benson and the bottom of the 4^th inning in a run-scoring double by Jackie Lucido. 

 

Trailing 4-2, Benson led off the bottom of the 6^th inning with a sharp single to left field and advanced into scoring position when designated player Paityn Cyr reached on a fielding error. CMU starting pitcher Paige Adair buckled down and retired the next three batters, two on strikeouts, to get out of the jam.

 

The Mavericks added three insurance runs in the top of the 7^th inning off relief pitcher Kira Doan, with two WWU fielding errors leading to the unearned runs. 

 

Sophomore right fielder Mackenzie Palmer recorded her first multi-hit game of the season going 2-for-3.Lucido (1-for-3, 2B, RBI) and Cyr both extended their hitting streak to six consecutive games.

 

Adair (1-0) recorded the complete-game victory scattering 6 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 8 in her Colorado Mesa debut.

 

Colorado Mesa (Grand Junction, CO) improved to 3-0 on the season, after going 48-5 and advancing to the NCAA II South Central Regional in 2018.

 

 

The Vikings (4-3) conclude play in the Dixie State Courtyard Classic on Saturday with games against Colorado State Pueblo (11:30 am PT/12:30 pm MT) and #17 Dixie State (2 pm PT/3 pm MT). The complete tournament schedule with links to live statistical updates can be found via the tournament website onDixieStateAthletics.com.

 

This marks the fourth consecutive season the Vikings have traveled to St. George, Utah to play in the Dixie State Classic. WWU is now 10-9 all-time in the tournament hosted by Dixie State University, going 2-3 in 2016, 2-2 in 2017, 3-3 in 2018 and is 3-1 in 2019.

 

Up-to-date season information, including season statistics, bios, roster, schedule and historical information can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com/Softball. WWU Softball also has a strong social media presence on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, so give them a follow!

 

The WWU softball program is in its 27^th season, with the Vikings posting a winning record in 16 seasons and made four trips to the NCAA Division II Championships. WWU won the 1998 NAIA National Championship to record the school's first ever team national title. Over the last five seasons leading up to the 2019 season, the Vikings recorded a 135-104 (.565) record and won the 2017 GNAC Tournament to advance to the NCAA II West Regional in Monterey, California. In the first game of the regional, the No. 8-seed Vikings beat top-seed and regional host Cal State Monterey Bay for the program's first NCAA Championships victory. Head coach Sheryl Gilmore is in her first season at the helm of the program.

 

-- WWU Softball --