TACOMA, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team returned to action Saturday sweeping a non-conference doubleheader against the University of Puget Sound at Logger Field.

 

The Vikings improved to 4-8 on the year after winning 9-4 and 6-3 in Tacoma. UPS fell to 0-8 on the season after dropping both games.

 

WWU displayed excellent pitching, with Viking hurlers only allowing seven runs on 11 hits between the two games. The highlight of the day was a record-setting pitching performance from freshman Joie Baker, who tied the WWU single-game record with 16 strikeouts, also establishing the freshman program record. Senior right-hander Kira Doan struck out the final batter of the opening game to establish a single-game team record with 17 strikeouts. 

 

Doan would then earn the win in a complete-game effort in the nightcap, allowing five hits and three runs to pick up her first victory of the season. 

 

The Vikings also put up great numbers on offense, totaling 15 runs on 15 hits across the two-game set. Senior first baseman Dakota Brooks hit a grand slam in the first game. A solo homer and a double from senior Rylie Wales gave her a pair of RBI on the day. Freshman Ellie Jespersen combined to go 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI in the two games. Senior Tatum Dow went 3-for-8 with three runs scored, extending her hitting streak to nine consecutive games.

 

The Vikings return to action next weekend with four "non-conference" games against GNAC foe Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho. WWU will play NNU in a pair of doubleheaders, beginning Friday at 1 pm MT/12 pm PT and Saturday at 12 pm MT/11 am PT at Halle Softball Field.

 

 

WWU defeated UPS 9-4 to win the opening game of the doubleheader at Logger Field.

 

The game featured an all-time pitching performance paired with productive offense from the Vikings in their third win of the season.

 

Western starting pitcher Joie Baker recorded the win to improve to 3-4 on the season, tying WWU's single-game record with 16 strikeouts. Senior Kira Doan recorded the final two outs and struck out the final batter of the game to establish the team single-game record with 17 strikeouts. 

 

WWU was able to put up nine runs on nine hits, highlighted by Dakota Brooks going 2-for-4 with four RBI. Brooks hit her second home run of the season and first grand slam as a Viking in the second inning.

 

The Vikings started making noise on offense right from the get-go, tallying seven hits in the first three innings while plating four runs. 

 

The damage was done by Brooks, who came up to bat with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the second and hit a grand slam to center field to open the scoring. This was the first grand slam by a Viking since 2019, and Brooks 11th home run in her WWU career, which ties her for 11th all-time in WWU history.

 

The lead was soon extended to 5-0 through a third-inning leadoff home run Rylie Wales.

 

Baker came out firing, facing the minimum through the first three innings while allowing no hits and striking out eight of the first nine batters she faced. 

 

The Loggers were able to break up the no-hit bid in the bottom of the 4th inning, plating two runs before Baker tallied her 9th, 10th and 11th strikeouts to get out of the inning.

 

In the top of the 5th, junior Brooke Fesenbek doubled home her first run of the season to make it 6-2, and the Vikings were able to add three more in the 6th before Baker and Doan closed out the 9-4 victory.

 

 

 

The Vikings completed the doubleheader sweep with a 6-3 victory over the Loggers in the nightcap.

 

Freshman Ellie Jespersen went 3-for-4 with two doubles and drove in one run.

 

WWU starter Kira Doan found herself in a pitcher's duel with UPS starter Maddy Garcia, both going the full seven innings while giving up 11 combined hits.

 

The Vikings took the lead in the second inning, loading the bases and scoring off a wild pitch and an Emily Paulson sacrifice fly.

 

UPS loaded up the bases in the bottom of the third inning and Savanna Smith cleared them with a three-run double to give the Loggers a 3-2 lead.

 

The Vikings tied the game in the 5th inning on a run-scoring double from Ellie Jespersen that brought it to 3-3. 

 

In the top of the seventh, Jespersen picked up another crucial hit to get on base. Senior Tatum Dow put the ball in play for a single, and after some chaos on the basepaths, both Dow and Jespersen were able to score to give the Vikings the 5-3 lead. An RBI double from Rylie Wales later in the inning stretched the lead to 6-3 and Doan stranded the bases loaded in the 7th inning to secure the victory and the sweep.

 

The Vikings (4-8) return to action next weekend with four "non-conference" games against GNAC foe Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho. WWU will play NNU in a pair of doubleheaders, beginning Friday at 1 pm MT/12 pm PT and Saturday at 12 pm MT/11 am PT at Halle Softball Field. A live webcast and statistical updates will be made available by NNU with direct links 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).