BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team split its Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader vs. Northwest Nazarene on Friday afternoon at Viking Field.
 
The Vikings won the first game 4-0 behind a 3-hit shutout by junior pitcher Anna Kasner and had their late-inning comeback attempt come up short in a 9-7 loss in the nightcap.
 
WWU is 7-11 on the season and 2-4 in GNAC play and will be back in action Saturday at Viking Field with two more games against the Nighthawks in conference play.
 
Junior shortstop Tatum Dow combined to go 5-for-6 with 3 RBI in the doubleheader, and hit her first Western home run in the second game.
 
Junior left fielder Lauren Lo was 3-for-7 with a hit in each game, extending her hitting streak to a career-high 12 consecutive games.
 
Kasner tossed a 3-hit shutout in the opening game of the shutout while recording 9 strikeouts to improve to 6-4 on the season. The junior also combined to go 4-for-7 at the plate in the doubleheader.
  The Vikings (7-11, 2-4 GNAC) remains at home on Saturday hosting another GNAC doubleheader vs. NNU starting at noon. Both games will be streamed live online with direct links atWWUVikings.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.