ST. GEORGE, Utah – Western Washington University junior starting pitcher Anna Kasner recorded a career-high 15 strikeouts and also went 2-for-4 with a home run to lead the Vikings to a 5-2 victory over Fort Lewis College on Thursday during the first day of the Dixie State Courtyard Classic at Canyons Softball Complex.

Kasner, a junior right-hander out of Fife High School, allowed just a pair of hits and one earned run (2 total runs) to even her season record at 2-2 on the season. The 15 strikeouts are tied for the 2^nd-most in a game in the 28 years of WWU softball history, trailing only 16 strikeouts by Erika Quint in 2011. She set a school record with eight consecutive strikeouts from the 1^st-through-3^rd innings.

Coming off the 10^th no-hitter in WWU history in her last start, Kasner had her string of 10 consecutive hitless frames snapped with a pinch-hit, leadoff single in the bottom of the 6^th inning. She reached the milestone 15 strikeouts by striking out the side in the bottom of the 7^th inning.

Kasner also helped her own cause batting out of the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and hit a 2-run home run in the top of the 4^th inning.

The Vikings got on the board with a single tally in the opening inning when Kasner scored on a throwing error by the Fort Lewis third baseman. Kasner added two key insurance runs when she belted a 2-out, 2-run home run to left field to extend the lead to 3-0 in the 4^th inning. 

WWU added single tallies in the 6^th and 7^th inning, including a run-scoring single by junior shortstopTatum Dow, to stretch the lead to 5-0. Fort Lewis scored a pair of runs in its final at-bat when Brianna Leavell doubled in a run and scored on a throwing error.

In addition to Kasner's second consecutive multi-hit game, junior second baseman Chantelle Shimabukuro continued the torrid start to her season going 2-for-4 with a walk. The junior college transfer from Edmonds Community College is now 8-for-17 (.471) to open her WWU career.

Anna Kasner set a career-high with 15 strikeouts, the 11^th game with 10+ strikeouts in her career with WWU. Kasner's previous single-game career-high was 13 strikeouts, accomplished four times (last: 5/6/17 vs. Western Oregon). The 15 strikeouts are tied for the 2^nd-most in a game in WWU history (see list below). Her 8 consecutive strikeouts from the 1^st-through-3^rd innings set the program record, bettering the old mark of 7 straight by Kristen Kiekenapp on March 3, 2001 vs. Eastern Oregon. 

The Vikings (2-4) return to action Friday with a pair of games in the Dixie State Courtyard Classic. WWU faces Hawai'i Hilo at 12:30 pm MT/11:30 am PT and MSU Denver at 5:30 pm MT/4:30 pm PT at the Canyons Softball Complex. The three-day tournament wraps up on Saturday with the Vikings facing St. Mary's (TX) at 12:30 pm MT/11:30 am PT and host Dixie State at 3:00 pm MT/2:00 pm PT. Games from Utah can be followed via live statistical updates at WWUVikings.com/SB_Stats.

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.