MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Washington University softball team split its Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader on Sunday at Western Oregon, falling 5-2 in the first game and then coming back with an offensive outburst in a 10-2 victory in the nightcap at WOU Softball Field.

 

WWU had its seven-game winning streak and 6-0 start in conference play snapped with the 5-2 loss in the opening game, but came back with one of its best offensive performances of the season in the 10-2 victory in the nightcap. The Vikings are now 13-6 on the season and 7-1 in GNAC play while winning eight of their last nine games.

 

"It was awesome to go get three tough road wins this weekend in conference play," said first-year head coach Sheryl Gilmore. "These games were so great for our growth as a team and we learned a lot about our resiliency when things got tough. The extra-inning win at Concordia and the bounceback run-rule win today WOU really showed the heart of this group."

 

Senior Makinlee Sellevold combined to go 4-for-6 with a home run and 3 RBI in the doubleheader and junior left fielder Seli Aholelei was 4-for-7 with 3 runs scored, a home run and 2 RBI. Overall the Vikings recorded 19 hits in the two games, including 14 in the second game and hit four home runs.

 

Senior pitcher/third baseman Shearyna Labasan was 3-for-8 at the plate and allowed only 2 earned runs in 8.0 innings in the circle. Making her 2019 debut this weekend enduring an early-season knee injury, Labasan combined to allow only two runs in a combined 16.2 innings while making four pitching appearances (2 starts). 

 

"Getting Shearyna back in the lineup and in the circle has been a game changer," added Gilmore. "She brings another element to the team and is such a strong leader for us."

 

WWU's defense continued its solid play in the field by not making an error in 12 innings. The Vikings made only one error in the four games vs. Concordia and Western Oregon, and have made only three errors over the last nine games.

 

"It was great to see so many different people step up for the team in all three phases of the game when we needed it most," said Gilmore. "Our defense is really starting to gel and we are continuing to work on making good adjustments at the plate."

 

The Vikings return home next week hosting Central Washington (Saturday) and Saint Martin's (Sunday) in GNAC doubleheaders that will start at noon at Viking Field on the south end of the WWU campus. 

 

"I am so proud of our Seniors – Makinlee, Emily, Cylie, and Shearyna – not only in how they are performing, but in how they are leading the team," said Gilmore.

 

 

WWU had its seven-game winning streak snapped in a 5-2 loss in the first game of the doubleheader at Western Oregon.

 

The Wolves struck first with back-to-back home runs by third baseman Cheyanne Rimer and first baseman Jenna Kelly to lead off the bottom of the 2^nd inning.

 

WOU added three more runs in the 4^th inning, with center fielder Tyler Creach driving home a pair of runs with a two-out, two-run bloop single to center field to extend the lead to 5-0.

 

The Vikings broke up the shutout when Seli Aholelei hit a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the 7^th inning, the second homer in as many days for the junior outfielder.

 

WWU starter Makinlee Sellevold took the loss falling to 8-6 on the season, breaking a streak of five consecutive starts without a loss (4-0). Sellevold allowed 5 hits and 5 runs in 4.0 innings. Shearyna Labasan tossed 2.0 shutout innings of relief to extend her string of consecutive scoreless innings streak to 10.2 innings to open the season.

 

Aholelei recorded the Vikings lone multi-hit game going 2-for-3 with a home run and 2 RBI. Sellevold went 1-for-3 to extend her hitting streak to seven consecutive games. 

 

WOU junior pitcher Chandler Bishop improved to 1-1 on the season allowing 5 hits and 2 runs in the complete-game victory. Designated player Allyson Drury was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI accounting for the Wolves lone multi-hit game.

 

 

 

The Vikings slugged a season-high three home runs, including a grand slam by Jackie Lucido in the six-run 5^th inning, in a 10-2 victory in the second game to split the doubleheader against WOU. The game was halted after six innings due to the run rule when leading by at least eight runs after 5.0 innings.

 

The Vikings led 3-0 after the top of the 4^th inning, before WOU hit back-to-back solo home runs to cut the lead to one run. WWU answered with a six-run 5^th inning, with Lucido (grand slam) and senior shortstop Cylie Richards (solo HR) hit back-to-back home runs to put the game out of reach. 

 

Senior designated player Makinlee Sellevold was 3-for-3 with a home run and 3 RBI and senior pitcher Shearyna Labasan was 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored and 2 doubles to lead the Vikings 14-hit attack. Senior first baseman Emily Benson (2-for-4, R), junior left fielder Seli Aholelei (2-for-4, 2 R) and Richards (2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR) also had multi-hit games. 

 

Labasan improved to 3-0 in the circle scattering 7 hits and 2 runs in the complete-game victory. In four appearances and 16.2 innings this season, Labasan has allowed only 2 runs (0.84 ERA).

 

The Vikings wasted little time jumping ahead of the Wolves putting a run on the board in the top of the 1^st inning. Labasan doubled to lead off the game and scored on a single to the center field wallSellevold. 

 

WWU added single runs in the 3^rd and 4^th innings to increase the lead to 3-0. Sellevold plated a run with a sacrifice fly and Richards added a run-scoring single to center field.

 

WOU cut into the three-run deficit with a run in the bottom of the 4^th inning when shortstop Sydney Bowers and third baseman Cheyanne Rimer hit back-to-back home runs. The pair of runs snapped Labasan's consecutive innings scoreless streak to open the season at 13.2 innings.

 

The Vikings put the game away in the with six-run top of the 5^th inning, with Lucido providing the big hit with her second career grand slam. Following Lucido's bases-clearing homer to left field of game one starter Chandler Bishop, Richards made it back-to-back home runs with a solo shot to right-center field. Lucido became the fifth player in the 27-year history of WWU softball to hit two grand slams in a career.

 

Sellevold added the Vikings 10^th run of the game with a solo home run to right field with two outs in the top of the 6^th inning, her 17^th career home run to move into 5^th place in the WWU all-time record book.

 

WOU starting pitcher Maddie McClelland took the loss allowing 10 hits and 5 runs (4 ER) in 5.2 innings. Rimer was 2-for-3 while hitting solo home runs in each game of the doubleheader. 

 

 

WWU (13-6, 7-1 GNAC) returns home next week hosting a pair of GNAC doubleheaders at Viking Field. Opens the weekend against Central Washington on Saturday and then welcomes Saint Martin's to Bellingham. Both games will feature a noon first pitch in the doubleheader, with the second game following 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. All WWU home games offer free admission and parking and stream live with links at  WWUVikings.com/Live.

 

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!

 

If you can't make it to Viking Field to watch the home games in person, you can tune in to VikingsTV to catch all the action…all GNAC games, home and road, will stream live and feature live stats at GNAC.tv, with home games also streamed live on YouTube…in addition to being available online, all conference matches are available via the GNAC channel on Roku, Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV…live links can be accessed through WWUVikings.com/Live.

 

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.