TUCSON, Ariz. – WWU fell to 2-5 after dropping the first two games of the Desert Stinger tournament to San Francisco State and Cal-State Dominguez-Hills.  

 

The Vikings (2-5) lost 9-7 in a late-game offensive battle With San Francisco State and were defeated 12-2 by Cal-State Dominguez Hills in a 5-inning run-rule-shortened contest.

 

Western's offense was led by senior first baseman Dakota Brooks, who went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and five RBI. Senior shortstop Tatum Dow was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs driven in and senior center fielder Lauren Lo contributed a multi-hit game and two RBI in the opening game vs. SFSU.

 

WWU held a lead in each game, but was unable to capitalize on the offensive performance that recorded 14 hits between the two games.

WWU's Desert Stinger campaign continues Saturday as they face Washburn at 2:30 pm MT/1:30 pm PT and Minot State at 5 pm MT/4 pm PT.

 

 

The San Francisco State Gators defeated the Western Washington Vikings 9-7 in a game that saw 13 total runs scored in the final three innings. 

 

Both teams came into their first games at the Desert Stinger tournament with a 2-3 record, but in the end, it was the Gators who were able to improve to 3-3. They were powered by a late offensive surge that the Vikings fell just short of matching.  

 

Junior catcher Rachel Christensen and senior first baseman Dakota Brooks both recorded three-hit contests, with Brooks going 3-for-3 while driving in a career-high four runs. Senior center fielder Lauren Lo added a pair of RBI going 2-for-3 with two doubles and senior shortstop Tatum Dow scored the remaining run in a 2-for-4 performance. 

 

Senior starting pitcher Kira Doan allowed two hits in 4.1 innings of work, surrendering three earned runs while strikeout five batters in a no-decision.

 

The Vikings offense started producing early, as a first-inning one-out single from Dow scored Christensen.

 

The Gators got some traffic on the basepaths in the bottom of the first and were able to plate two runs before Doan went on to retire eight of the next 11 batters she faced, striking out four without allowing a hit.

 

The Vikings rallied in the top of the 5th inning, tallying three consecutive one-out singles to tie the score at 2-2.  A sacrifice fly to center field from Lo scored Dow to give WWU a 3-2 lead.

 

The Gators answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning, powered by bases-loaded singles from both Sydney Jenkins and Teya Vincent. 

 

Western came roaring back in the top of the 6th inning to tie the game at 7-7. A two-out bases loaded double from Brooks cleared the bases and Lo doubled home the tying run.

 

SFSU got a two-run double from Lehua Deleon that put the Gators back up by two runs bringing the game to the final score of 9-7.

 

 

 

In their second game of the day, the Vikings were defeated 12-2 by Cal State Dominguez Hills (6-1) in a five-inning run-rule-shortened game.

 

The Toros improved to 6-1 with the result, extending their winning streak to five consecutive games.

 

After going down 1-0 on a groundout in the top of the 1st inning, back-to-back run-scoring doubles from Tatum Dow and Dakota Brooks gave the Vikings the early 2-1 lead

 

The Toros offense kicked into high gear, scoring 11 runs over the next four innings to end the contest after five innings. Center fielder Kianna Abellera went 3-for-3 with four RBI with a double, single and sacrifice fly.

 

CSUDH reliever Ashley Wies faced one over the minimum in 4.0 innings to earn the win improving to 3-1 on the season. 

 

After tallying 12 hits in the opening game, the Vikings were limited to two hits vs. the Toros.

 

 

Here is a detailed look at WWU's five-game schedule at the Desert Stinger held at Lincoln Park in Tucson, Arizona. A comprehensive tournament website is available at MSUBSports.com, which includes important fan information in regards to tickets and field locations. All games will feature live statistical updates online with links listed below:

 

 

The Vikings (2-5) are back in action Saturday with a pair of games in the Desert Stinger taking on Washburn (2:30 pm MT/1:30 pm PT) and Minot State (5 pm MT/4 pm PT) at Lincoln Park. Both games will feature live stats with a direct link available at wwuvikings.com/22_SB.

 

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 30th season in 2022. WWU advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the fifth time in program history in 2021 after winning the GNAC Tournament. WWU has posted a winning record 18 times during the 30-year history of the program, which won the 1998 NAIA National Championship in only its sixth season to record the school's first ever team national title. Over the last eight seasons (since 2014), the Vikings are 195-148 and have won two of the last four GNAC Tournament titles (2017 & 2019).