NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Washington University softball team dropped a pair of games in a Saturday doubleheader at Northwest Nazarene University.
The Vikings held a lead in both games but ended up falling by scores of 5-8 and 5-9. WWU drops to 5-11 with the results while NNU improves to 10-6. All four games in the series played in Nampa do not count towards the official Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.
Senior Tatum Dow went 3-for-6 with three runs scored and recorded a hit in each game to extend her hitting streak to 13 consecutive games. Sophomore Macy Tarbox recorded a multi-homer game in the opening game – her first two career home runs as a Viking – and had three RBI.
The Vikings return to action next weekend making their home debut with doubleheaders against Western Oregon on Friday, March 4 and Saint Martin's on Sunday, March 6. All home games at Viking Field start at noon during the 2022 season and are open to fans.
Western Washington and Northwest Nazarene played out an offensive battle to start the day, but NNU came out on top in the end, winning 8-5
The bats woke up early on both sides, with 11 combined runs being scored in the first three innings.
Sophomore Macy Tarbox led the Vikings offense, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Senior second baseman Chantelle Shimabukuro went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI.
In the top of the 1st inning, Tarbox jumped on a 2-1 pitch and sent it deep over the left-center field fence for a 2-run home run. This was the first homer in Tarbox's WWU career and the sixth of the year for the Vikings.
NNU answered back immediately however, picking up a run on a sac-fly before a bases-clearing double from Abigail Gagnon gave the Nighthawks a 4-2 advantage. They would add three more runs in the 2nd to extend the lead to 7-2.
The Vikings kept fighting, cutting the lead down to 3 with a two-run single from Shimabukuro in the top of the 3rd. NNU would get one back in the top of the fifth.
In the top of 5th Tarbox got behind another one, hitting an opposite-field home run to right field for her second of the game to make it 8-5. This is the first time a WWU player has hit multiple home runs in a game since 2019.
Sophomore Sydney Brown was able to slow the Nighthawks bats, allowing just one unearned run on two hits through 4.0 innings of relief.
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NNU 8, WWU 5 (February 26, 2022 at Nampa, ID) – Game 1
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Score by Innings
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1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
-
|
R
|
H
|
E
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LOB
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Record
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Western Washington
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2
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0
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2
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
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-
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5
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5
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1
|
5
|
5-10
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Northwest Nazarene
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4
|
3
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0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
x
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-
|
8
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8
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1
|
9
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9-6
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WWU – Baker, Hirai (1), Brown (3) and Christensen, Paulson (4)
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NNU – Booth and Zuvela
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Win: Booth (6-2) Save: None Loss: Baker (3-6)
WWU HR: Tarbox 2 (2) NNU HR: None
Time of Game: 2:20
Weather: Cold and Windy (wind chill in 20s at first pitch)
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The second game of the day saw Western Washington fall to Northwest Nazarene 5-9 in a back and forth affair.
Both teams tallied nine hits, but it was Northwest Nazarene that was able to claim the final game of the four-game non-conference series.
The Vikings game at the dish was highlighted by a 2-for-3 performance from freshman third baseman Kanilehua Pitoy. Senior second baseman Chantelle Shimabukuro also drove in a pair of runs. Senior Tatum Dow went 2-for-3 to extend her hitting streak to 13 consecutive games.
WWU senior starting pitcher Kira Doan (2-3) went the distance for the Vikings, allowing nine hits and nine runs (8 ER) in 6.0 innings.
The Nighthawks posted a pair of runs in the 1st inning to take an early lead, but the Vikings loaded the bases in the 3rd inning with hits from Pitoy and Shimabukuro to fuel the four-run inning, giving Western a 4-2 lead.
A couple of sacrifices at the bottom of the 4th inning knotted it up at 4-4, and the hosts breakthrough would come in the next inning when Sidney Booth hit a two-run double to right field regain the lead at 6-4 for the Nighthawks.
NNU would not relinquish that lead, putting up three more runs and winning by a final score of 9-5. Starting pitcher Gina Skinner (1-1) earned the win with the complete-game effort scattering nine hits and allowing five runs.
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NNU 9, WWU 5 (February 26, 2022 at Nampa, ID) – Game 2
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|
Score by Innings
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
-
|
R
|
H
|
E
|
LOB
|
Record
|
|
Western Washington
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0
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0
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4
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0
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0
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1
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0
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-
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5
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9
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2
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8
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5-11
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Northwest Nazarene
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2
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0
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2
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2
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1
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2
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x
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-
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9
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9
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3
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6
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10-6
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WWU – Doan and Christensen
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NNU – Skinner and Adams
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Win: Skinner (1-1) Save: None Loss: Doan (2-3)
WWU HR: None NNU HR: None
Time of Game: 2:25 Att: 97
Weather: Mid 30s, Sunny
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The Vikings (5-11) make their Viking Field debut next weekend hosting Western Oregon (Friday, March 4) and Saint Martin's (Sunday, March 6). A live webcast and live stats will be available with direct links at wwuvikings.com/22_SB. Fans will also be allowed in the main field area for the 2022 season after a year with no fans in attendance in 2021.
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!
