BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team dropped both games of its Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday against Northwest Nazarene University at a chilly Viking Field.
The Vikings lost an offensive battle 9-6 in the first game and fell 11-5 in the nightcap. The teams split the GNAC-opening series winning two games apiece.
Western had its six-game winning streak snapped is now 11-14 on the season and 2-2 in GNAC play. NNU improves to 14-10 on the season and 2-2 in the GNAC.
WWU tallied 18 hits on the day, with senior center fielder Lauren Lo combining to go 4-for-8 with a double and two runs scored and senior left fielder Rylie Wales going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles. Senior first baseman Dakota Brooks hit a tape-measure three-run home run in the second game and finished 2-for-7 in the doubleheader.
Senior Tatum Dow extended her WWU record-setting streak to 20 games with a single in the first contest but couldn't keep the streak going in the second game. Dow's 20-game hitting streak is the longest in program history – bettering the old mark of 18 consecutive games – and only the 13th hitting streak of 20-or-more games in GNAC history.
The Vikings (11-13, 2-2 GNAC) will take next week off and return to action on Tuesday, March 22 with a road game vs. Northwest University at Bellevue College.
WWU dropped the day's first game to Northwest Nazarene 8-6 in a slugfest.
Despite outhitting the Nighthawks 11-7, the Vikings left 10 runners on base to drop their first home game on the season snapping the six-game winning streak.
Lauren Lo went 3-for-4 with a run scored and hit her 10th double of the season. Lo has now hit 32 career doubles, sixth-most in WWU history. Rylie Wales also 2-for-2. Macy Tarbox, Chantelle Shimabukuroand Tatum Dow all contributed RBI and eight different Vikings recorded a hit.
NNU starting pitcher Sidney Booth collected the win in a marathon of a complete game (7.0 IP, 11 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K). WWU senior Kira Doan was saddled with the loss after coming on in relief in the 2nd inning (2.1 IP, 3 Hits, 5 ER, 5 BB, 1 K).
The Nighthawks took the first lead of the day in the first inning on a two-run home run from Maia McNicoll, who finished 2-for-4 with four RBI in the game.
The Vikings answered back immediately, plating three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Tarbox extended the lead to two with an RBI single through the left side in the 2nd inning.
NNU forged ahead with three runs in the top of the 3rd inning, but Western answered with a bases-loaded single from Tatum Dow, scoring a pair of runs to give the Vikings a 6-5 lead. The Nighthawks would go back on top with another two-run shot, this time from Ivy Hommel.
WWU would get the tying run to second base in the bottom of the 6th but was unable to capitalize.
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NNU 9, WWU 6 (March 11, 2022 at Bellingham, WA) – Game 1
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Score by Innings
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1
|
2
|
3
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4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
-
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R
|
H
|
E
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LOB
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Record
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Northwest Nazarene
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2
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0
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3
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2
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1
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0
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1
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-
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9
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7
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2
|
4
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13-10, 1-2
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Western Washington
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3
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1
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2
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0
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0
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0
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0
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-
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6
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11
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0
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10
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11-12, 1-2
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NNU – Booth and Zuvela
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WWU – Baker, Doan (2), Brown (4) and Christensen
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Win: Booth (8-4) Save: None Loss: Doan (5-4)
WWU HR: None NNU HR: Hommel (3), McNicoll (4)
Time of Game: 2:43 Weather: 42-degrees, Cloudy and Cold
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The Vikings dropped the second game of the doubleheader against Northwest Nazarene 11-5, with NNU taking an 11-0 lead before WWU scored five runs in the bottom of the 6th inning.
Nighthawks starter Tori Hensley earned the win, going 5.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts. NNU senior shortstop Ivy Hommel went 3-for-4 with three RBI.
Western starter Sydney Brown (2-2) took the loss, surrendering five hits and three earned runs in 3.2 innings pitched.
Senior first baseman Dakota Brooks provided the big hit for the Viking with a tape-measure three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the 6th inning. Freshman Kanilehua Pitoy went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Rylie Wales went 1-for-3 with her seventh double of the season.
NNU took another 2-0 1st inning lead and extended it to 5-0 after a three-run top of the 4th. A six-run 6th inning brought the score to 11-0 in favor of the visitors.
The Viking bats came to life in the bottom of the 6th. They posted a five-run inning highlighted by a the no-doubt Brooks three-run homer that landed on the tennis courts beyond the left field fence.
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NNU 11, WWU 5 (March 11, 2022 at Bellingham, WA) – Game 2
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Score by Innings
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1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
-
|
R
|
H
|
E
|
LOB
|
Record
|
|
Northwest Nazarene
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2
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0
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0
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3
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0
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6
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0
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-
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11
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12
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1
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4
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14-10, 2-2
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Western Washington
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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5
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0
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-
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5
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7
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2
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4
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11-13, 2-2
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NNU – Hensley, Skinner (6) and Adams
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WWU – Brown, Doan (4), Baker (7) and Christensen
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Win: Hensley (3-2) Save: None Loss: Brown (2-2)
WWU HR: Brooks (3) NNU HR: None
Time of Game: 2:27 Att: 77 Weather: 44-degrees, Cloudy and Cold
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The Vikings (11-13, 2-2 GNAC) are off next week for final exams and will be back in action March 22 with a doubleheader vs. Northwest University starting at 4 pm at Bellevue College. WWU's next GNAC action will be a four-game road series at Montana State Billings March 26-27.
