BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team split its doubleheader against Simon Fraser University on Friday at Viking Field to open the Great Northwest Athletic Conference season.

 

The Vikings out-hit SFU 13-8 in the first game, but were defeated 7-6 in an 8-inning contest. WWU bounced back with a 1-0 walk-off win in the nightcap to open the conference season 1-1.

 

WWU combined for 19 hits in the doubleheader, with junior first baseman Dakota Brooks leading the way going 4-for-6 with a double and home run. Junior second baseman Chantelle Shimabukuro went 3-for-8 and delivered the game-winning hit with a double down the left field line in the second game. Freshman Taylor Khorrami made her collegiate debut as a pinch runner, scoring a run in both games, including the game-winning run sprinting around the bases from first base in the 1-0 victory.

 

Junior left fielder Lauren Lo recorded a hit in each game to extend her hitting streak to eight consecutive games.

 

Junior pitcher Anna Kasner started both games of the doubleheader, recording a no-decision in the first game (4.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, 2 WP) and tossed her 12^th career shutout (3^rd-most in WWU history) with a 3-hitter in the nightcap.

 

"I'm really proud of the resiliency of the team today. They battled in the first game and we came up short and then they fought tooth-and-nail together to win the nightcap," said WWU head coach Sheryl Gilmore. "We are continuing to learn a lot about ourselves while growing and trusting the process. It was great to see key contributions from so many different players. Everybody stuck together and stayed ready for their opportunity. We are excited to build on today, make some small adjustments, and have the opportunity to see Simon Fraser again on Sunday."

 

The Vikings (6-8, 1-1 GNAC) returns to action Sunday traveling across the border to play at Simon Fraser with a doubleheader starting at noon at Beedie Field on the SFU campus.

 

 

The Vikings dropped the first game in extra innings, with Simon Fraser scoring runs in the 7^th and 8^thinnings for a 7-6 victory.

 

WWU got off to 2-0 lead through the first four innings behind a first-inning home run from Dakota Brooks and a run-scoring double by Rylie Wales. Starting pitcher Anna Kasner allowed only one hit while holding SFU scoreless through the first four innings, but the Clan scored 5 runs in the  top of the 5^th to take a 5-2 lead. The big inning included a pair of errors, two walks and two wild pitches by Kasner accounting for the five runs. 

 

The Vikings answered with three runs in the bottom of the 5^th inning, opening the frame with four consecutive singles. Pinch hitter Brooke Fesenbek plated the game-tying run with a single to right field with two outs.

 

SFU pulled ahead 6-5 with a run in the top of the 7^th inning on a single by senior catcher Amanda Janes to score first baseman Hanna Finkelstein.

 

Western pushed the game to extra innings when senior center fielder Jackie Lucido drove home the game-tying run with a double to left field, but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. Senior designated player Paityn Cyr led off the inning with a single after fouling off five pitches.

 

The Clan forged ahead once again in the top of the 8^th inning on a two-out single to left field by Finkelstein. WWU cut down the potential go-ahead run earlier in the inning when left fielder Lauren Lo combined with third baseman Megan Marino on a perfectly-executed relay throw.

 

WWU put the potential tying run on base following a leadoff pinch-hit single by Rachel Christensen, but SFU pitcher Anissa Zacharczuk finished her complete-game effort to improve to 6-0 on the season.

 

The Vikings out-hit the Clan 13-8, with Brooks leading the way going 3-for-4 with her third home run of the season. Cyr also tabbed a multi-hit game going 2-for-4 with one RBI. Lo went 1-for-4 to extend her hitting streak to seven consecutive games.

 

WWU junior Kira Doan pitched well in relief, allowing 5 hits and 2 runs in 3.1 innings, but was saddled with the tough-luck loss to fall to 1-3 on the season. Kasner allowed just 3 hits in 4.2 innings, but gave up 5 runs (3 ER) and 6 walks while recording a no-decision.

 

SFU leadoff hitter Alex Ogg went 2-for-5 and Finkelstein was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. The Clan played error-free defense, taking away several potential WWU hits.

 

 

 

Junior second baseman Chantelle Shimabukuro delivered a walk-off double down the left field line to score freshman pinch runner Taylor Khorrami sending the Vikings to a 1-0 victory in the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader.

 

Junior starting pitcher Anna Kasner turned in a brilliant outing tossing a 3-hit shutout to improve to 5-3 on the season. The right-hander struck four batters, and buckled down to hold SFU to 0-for-12 with runners on base. The shutout was the 12^th in the career for Kasner, 3^rd-most in WWU softball history.

 

Six different players combined for the Vikings hits, with first baseman Dakota Brooks hitting her team-leading fourth double of the year and left fielder Lauren Lo extending her hitting streak to eight consecutive games. 

 

The walk-off victory was ignited by a pinch-hit single through the right side of the infield by juniorTatum Dow. After fouling off a pair of bunt attempts trying to move pinch-runner Khorrami into scoring position, Shimabukuro drilled a ball down the left field line that eluded SFU's Kate Fergusson to score the game-winning run.

 

 

The Vikings (6-8, 1-1 GNAC) continue their home-and-home doubleheader vs. Simon Fraser, traveling across the border to play a pair of road games Sunday on Burnaby Mountain at Beedie Field. First pitch vs. SFU is scheduled for noon on the SFU campus. Both games will be streamed live online with direct 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!

 

The WWU softball program enters the 28^th season in program history, with the Vikings posting a winning record in 17 seasons. WWU won the 1998 NAIA National Championship to record the school's first ever team national title and has made four trips to the NCAA Division II Regional Championships, last in 2017. Over the last six seasons (since 2014), the Vikings are 162-122 (.555) and won the 2017 GNAC Tournament to advance to the NCAA II West Regional in Monterey, California. Head coach Sheryl Gilmore is in her second season at the helm of the program in 2019, leading WWU to 27 wins, tied for the 10^th-most in program history, in her first campaign in 2019.