TURLOCK, Calif. – The Western Washington University softball team completed a 2-0 start to the 20th Annual Tournament of Champions by defeating No. 13 nationally-ranked Sonoma State University 4-3 in extra innings Friday night at the Pedretti Sports Complex.
WWU improved to 16-14 on the season winning its third consecutive game with the one-run victory over Sonoma State. The Vikings opened the TOC with a 14-0 victory over Academy of Art in five innings earlier in the day in Turlock.
In the game against the Seawolves, the Vikings got off to a quick start with three runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, benefiting from five SSU errors. Right fielder Isabel Cargill plated the third run of the inning with a run-scoring single to center field.
WWU starter Mareena Ramirez was in control holding SSU scoreless through the first three innings The Seawolves got a run back in the top of the 4th inning and tied the game on a two-run double by catcher Jordyn Martinez in the top of the 5th inning.
Both teams were held scoreless over their final two at-bats, invoking the international tie breaker in the top of the 8th inning. Ramirez wiggled out of a bases loaded, no-out jam with a strikeout, flyout and groundout to put the Vikings in perfect position for the walk-off victory.
Playing as the home team as determined by a pre-game coin flip, freshman Hailey Rath provided the game-ending dramatics with a walk-off double down the right field line on the first pitch in the bottom of the 8th inning to send the Vikings to the 4-3 victory.
Ramirez improved to 11-4 on the season earning the complete-game victory allowing five hits and three runs in 8.0 innings. The senior right-hander struck out nine batters and walked five.
Rath finished 2-for-4 with her team-leading 11th multi-hit game of the season.
SSU starting pitcher Charlie Johnson (5-1) dropped her first decision of the season allowing four runs (0 ER) in the complete-game effort.
The Vikings (16-14, 6-6 GNAC) return to play at the 20th Annual Tournament of Champions, presented by the City of Turlock facing San Francisco State (11:30 am) and Cal State East Bay (4:30 pm) and one Sunday (Cal State San Bernardino) to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule.
|
WWU 4, #13 SSU 3 (March 31, 2023 at Turlock, CA)
|
|
Score by Innings
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
R
|
H
|
E
|
LOB
|
Record
|
|
Sonoma State
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
5
|
8
|
23-5
|
|
Western Washington
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
16-14
|
|
SSU – Johnson and Martinez
|
|
WWU – Ramirez and Christensen
|
|
Win: Ramirez (11-4) Save: None Loss: Johnson (5-1)
WWU HR: None SSU HR: None
Time of Game: 2:12 Att: 72
|
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2023 season:
|
RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall
|
16-14
|
|
GNAC
|
6-6
|
|
Non-Conference
|
10-8
|
|
Streak
|
W3
|
|
Home
|
6-3
|
|
Viking Field
|
5-3
|
|
Away
|
4-9
|
|
Neutral
|
6-2
|
|
vs. Ranked Teams
|
1-2
|
|
1-Run Games
|
7-5
|
|
2-Run Games
|
2-2
|
|
Extra Innings
|
3-2
|
|
Shutouts
|
4-5
|
|
BY UNIFORM
|
|
Black
|
7-2
|
|
Blue/White
|
3-3
|
|
Navy
|
3-3
|
|
Gray
|
2-5
|
|
Blue/Navy
|
1-1
|
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 31st season in 2023. 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 19 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. During the nine-season span from 2014-2022, the Vikings have combined to go 224-172 and won a pair of GNAC Tournament titles (2017 & 2021).
