NAMPA, Idaho – In a battle of two of the top teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the Western Washington University softball team were handed a pair of losses to open a four-game conference series.

 

The Vikings were defeated 4-3 in 10 innings in the opening game and 7-0 in the doubleheader finale to drop to 17-9 overall and 8-6 in conference play. NNU jumped ahead of the Vikings in the standings improving to 24-8 overall and 7-3 in GNAC play. Western has dropped its last three games and four of its last five after opening the season 16-5.

 

WWU had scoring opportunities throughout the doubleheader, but were just 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-18 with two outs. The Vikings were shut out for the first time this season in the second game of the doubleheader and scored in just one of 17 innings in the two games combined.

 

Junior shortstop Tatum Dow recorded a hit in both games to extend her hitting streak to 12 consecutive games. Senior right fielder Mackenzie Palmer (3-for-6, R) and junior second baseman Chantelle Shimabukuro (3-for-8, 2B, 2 RBI) led the Vikings with three hits on the day.

 

Junior pitcher Kira Doan was saddled with a pair of tough-luck losses, allowing only one earned run in 5.1 innings in the two games. Senior Anna Kasner recorded a no-decision in the opener allowing three runs and striking out six in 7.0 innings.

 

The Vikings and Nighthawks conclude the four-game GNAC series Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at noon MT/11 am PT. With morning rain in the forecast in Nampa, the start time may get pushed back slightly.

 

Here is a look at the 2021 GNAC Softball records following play Friday, with the Vikings dropping to 3^rdplace in the standings following the pair of losses Friday at Northwest Nazarene. WWU is now 8-6 in league play with a current 3-game losing streak (17-9 overall). The top four teams in the standings following the regular season will qualify for the GNAC Tournament.

 

 

The Vikings (17-9, 8-6 GNAC) complete the four-game road series at Northwest Nazarene tomorrow (Saturday, April 24) with first pitch scheduled for 12 pm MT/11 am PT. WWU's regular-season finale and final home games will be May 1-2 (Saturday-Sunday) hosting in-state rival Central Washington for a four-game series. With no fans allowed due to GNAC and COVID protocols, fans can follow the action online with a direct link available for your computers and devices at WWUVikings.com/SB_Watch.

 

 

In a game that had several twists and turns, it was Northwest Nazarene that wound up with a 4-3 win over Western Washington in 10 innings in the first game of the doubleheader.

 

NNU appeared to win the game on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8^th inning, but the Nighthawks batted out of order, keeping the game tied 3-3.

 

With the international tiebreaker rule in effect placing a runner on second base to open the inning, WWU had a golden scoring opportunity with runners on first and third with no outs in the top of the 10^thinning. Two flyouts and strikeout ended the scoring threat and NNU scored the game-winning run in the bottom half of the inning.

 

The top two pitchers in the GNAC squared off in what lived up to its billing as a pitcher's duel.

 

WWU's Anna Kasner and NNU's Sydney Booth entered the game as two of the top pitchers in the nation and did not disappoint with both pitching deep into the game.

 

The Vikings rallied from a late three-run deficit to force extra innings, but Booth lifted a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8^th inning to give the Nighthawks a 4-2 win.

 

Maia McNicoll led off the bottom of the 5^th inning with home run to left field on the first pitch from Kasner for her GNAC-leading 9^th home run of the season.

 

NNU added a pair of runs in the bottom of the 6^th on a 2-run home run to center field by catcher Brittany Genuardi.

 

The Vikings rallied for three runs in the top of the 7^th inning to tie the game 3-3. Freshman designated player Macy Tarbox ignited the rally with a run-scoring double to center field and second baseman Chantelle Shimabukuro tied the game plating a pair of runs on a double to the right field gap. 

 

Western had the potential go-ahead run in scoring position, but relief pitcher Jackie Vargas got a groundout and strikeout to end the inning to keep the game tied 3-3.

 

The Nighthawks put a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the 7^th inning, but Kasner got out of jam to force the game into extra innings.

 

NNU appeared to win the game in the bottom of the 8^th when Booth lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Ivy Hommel, but it was ruled that Booth did not re-enter the game as a pinch-hitter and was called out. 

 

Doan (6-5) took the loss allowing the winning run in the 10^th inning on a fielder's choice and throwing error. Kasner allowed six hits and three runs, with six strikeouts, while recording a no-decision.

 

Booth (11-2) earned the win in relief of her own start, going 8.2 total innings, allowing eight hits with eight strikeouts.

 

 

 

The Vikings were held off the scoreboard for the first time this season in a 7-0 loss in the second game of the doubleheader.

 

WWU managed just four hits in the game, the fewest hits in a game this season.

 

The Vikings had a chance to take an early lead in the top of the 3^rd inning loading the bases on three consecutive singles by Kira Doan, Mackenzie Palmer and Chantelle Shimabukuro, but were unable to push a run across the plate.

 

NNU capitalized on Western's missed scoring opportunity, pushing three runs across the plate in the bottom of the 3^rd inning. Maia McNicoll hit her GNAC-leading 10^th home run, a 3-run homer to left field, to give the Nighthawks all the runs they would need. 

 

Starting pitcher Tori Hensley (6-2) would allow only one hit over the final four innings to record complete-game shutout. 

 

WWU starter Kira Doan (6-6) recorded the loss allowing six hits and four runs (1 ER) in 3.1 innings.

 

 
 

Anna Kasner recorded six strikeouts in the opening game of the doubleheader, moving her closer to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference record. Kasner now has 496 career strikeouts, 2^nd-most in the 20-year history of the GNAC.

 

 

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 its 29^th season in 2021, with the Vikings posting a winning record 17 times. WWU won the 1998 NAIA National Championship in only its sixth season 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 172-134 and won the 2017 GNAC Tournament to advance to the NCAA II West Regional in Monterey, California. Head coach Sheryl Gilmore is in her third season at the helm of the program in 2020 after leading WWU to 27 wins, tied for the 10^th-most in program history, in her first campaign in 2019.