MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Washington University softball team put together its most complete game of the season in a 9-0 victory over Northwest Nazarene Friday during the second day of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships at WOU Softball Field.

Highlighted by a 12-strikeout no-hitter from senior pitcher Anna Kasner and a 2-for-3, 5-RBI performance at the plate from junior center fielder Lauren Lo, the No. 2 seed Vikings defeated the No. 1 seed Nighthawks 9-0 in 5 innings.

 
WWU will face Northwest Nazarene in Saturday's conference championships final, needing one win to claim their second GNAC tournament title.
 

WWU got a leadoff home run from junior second baseman Chantelle Shimabukuro in the top of the 1^st inning, and never looked back to hand the regular-season GNAC champion Nighthawks their first run-rule defeat of the season. Junior shortstop Tatum Dow added a solo home run in the 1^st inning setting the tone for the game with the Vikings jumping out to the early 2-0 lead.

While the offense was clicking with 11 hits and three home runs, it was Kasner who continued her dominating postseason performance allowing just one baserunner in the 5-inning no-hitter. The senior retired the first 14 batters she faced before recording a hit-by-pitch with two outs in the bottom of the 5^th inning. Kasner regrouped and struck out the final batter of the game to record her third career no-hitter, and the first in the eight-year history of the GNAC Softball Championships. Kasner also had a 6-inning perfect game earlier this season vs. Saint Martin's and tossed a 5.0-inning no-hitter during her junior season in 2020.

At one point during her start Kasner struck out seven consecutive batters from the 1^st-through-3^rd innings, and finished with 12 strikeouts for the second consecutive day. Kasner improved to 12-3 on the season while lowering her season ERA to 1.66. The WWU and GNAC all-time strikeout leader now has 19 career starts with double-digits in strikeouts and 537 career strikeouts.

With Kasner in cruise control, the Vikings had a breakout game at the plate after a 10-game stretch where the team did not score more than five runs in a game. In addition to the pair of runs on solo homers from Shimabukuro and Dow in the 1^st inning, WWU scored four runs in the 3^rd and three more in the 5^th inning.

Lo hit a 2-run double in the 3^rd inning and added an opposite-field 3-run home run in the top of the 5^th inning to finish with a single-game career-high 5 RBI.

Shimabukuro (2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, HR), Dow (2-for-2, 3 R, RBI, BB, HR) and sophomore third baseman Brooke Fesenbek (2-for-3) each recorded multi-hit games for the Vikings. The leadoff home run for Shimabukuro in the 1^st inning marked her first home run in her WWU career, while Dow hit her team-leading 6^th home run.

NNU starter Tori Hensley (8-4) recorded the loss after being touched for two runs and three hits in 2.0 innings. In her previous start vs. the Vikings this season, Hensley fired a complete-game shutout allowing only four hits on April 23. NNU did not record a hit after entering the game as one of the top 15 offensive teams in all of NCAA Division II.

Anna Kasner improved to 5-0 all-time in GNAC Championships play (2-0 during this year's tournament), recording 47 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched over five appearances (4 starts) in the conference tournament. As a freshman in 2017, she earned GNAC Tournament MVP honors going 3-0, 0.00 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 3 G/2 GS. She has not allowed an earned run (1 unearned run) in her career in the GNAC Championships (21.0 consecutive scoreless innings). In two starts during the 2021 tournament, Kasner has allowed only one hit, recorded 24 strikeouts and not allowed a run in 12.0 innings.

WWU improved to 7-4 all-time in GNAC Championships play, making its fourth tournament appearance. The Vikings have now won five consecutive GNAC Tournament games after winning the 2017 tournament with a perfect 3-0 record during its last postseason appearance. The Vikings also qualified for the conference tournament in 2014 and 2015, including playing in the championship game in 2015.

The Vikings (22-12) advance directly to championship Saturday of the 2021 GNAC Softball Championships and need one victory to earn their second conference tournament title. WWU will face Northwest Nazarene, which defeated Western Oregon 9-0 in five innings to advance to Saturday's finale, starting at noon. The Vikings head into Saturday needing one victory to claim the conference tournament title. Webcast and live stats links are provided at WWUVikings.com/Live. All games will be played at WOU Softball Field on the Western Oregon University campus.

2021 GNAC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Monmouth, OR (Hosted by Western Oregon University)

Thursday, May 6:

No. 2 Western Washington 1, No. 3 Saint Martin's 0

No. 1 Northwest Nazarene 2, No. 4 Western Oregon 1

Friday, May 7

No. 2 Western Washington 9, No. 1 Northwest Nazarene 0 (5 innings)

No. 4 Western Oregon 7, No. 3 Saint Martin's 6 - SMU eliminated

No. 1 Northwest Nazarene 9, No. 5 Western Oregon 0 (5 innings) - WOU eliminated
 

Saturday, May 8:

Western Washington vs. Northwest Nazarene, Noon (WWU will be home team)

Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary), 2:30 pm

Anna Kasner recorded 12 strikeouts in her 5-inning no-hitter Friday vs. Northwest Nazarene, her second consecutive start with 12 K's. It marked the 19^th double-digit strikeout performance of her career. Kasner now has 537 career strikeouts, most in WWU and GNAC history, and 15^th-most among active NCAA II pitchers.

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 is in 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.