TURLOCK, Calif. – The Western Washington University softball team received another gem from starting pitcher Mareena Ramirez and a clutch two-run home run from freshman Isabella Bay to lead the Vikings to a 6-1 victory over Cal State East Bay Saturday evening at Warrior Field.

WWU concluded the second day of the Tournament of Champions with a 1-1 record and are 3-1 in the three-day tournament to improve to 17-15 overall. The Vikings have won four of their last five games. 

Ramirez won her 12th game of the season improving to 12-4 in the circle with the complete-game three-hitter. Ramirez struck out six, walked one and allowed just one run in another solid performance by the senior. 

WWU trailed 1-0 through the first four innings after the Pioneers struck first with a run in the top of the 2nd inning. Right fielder Annelise Garcia led off the 2nd inning with a triple to right-center field on a 3-2 pitch and came in to score on a wild pitch.

Ramirez kept East Bay at bay the rest of the way, setting up the Vikings comeback victory with four runs in the bottom of the 5th inning and two more in the bottom of the 6th.

McKenna Crum, Hailey Rath and Kinzey Williams recorded three consecutive one-out singles with the game-tying run crossing the late on a wild pitch. Kanilehua Pitoy drove in the go-ahead run with a groundout to put the Vikings up 2-1. Bay followed with a no-doubt two-run home run to right-center field for her first collegiate home run.

WWU extended the lead to 6-1 in the bottom of the 6th inning on a two-run single to center field.

The Vikings dealt East Bay starter Anamaria Beard (10-10) the loss recording 10 hits off the Pioneers right-handed pitcher. Garcia went 2-for-3 with the triple to account for two of the Pioneers three hits off Ramirez.

The Vikings (17-15, 6-6 GNAC) close out tournament play Sunday facing Cal State San Bernardino at 10 am at Pedretti Sports Complex (Field #5). WWU returns to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play April 7-8 with a four-game series at Northwest Nazarene.

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2023 season:

The 2023 Tournament of Champions, presented by the City of Turlock, features 22 of the 26 West Region programs in a three-day tournament hosted by Stanislaus State University. WWU has competed in all 20 versions of the Tournament of Champions and has an all-time 66-55 record in the tournament with a 3-1 record in this year's tournament.

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).