LACEY, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team earned a doubleheader split on the road against Saint Martin's University Saturday, remaining in the hunt for the postseason.
WWU dropped the opening game 8-0 in six innings, but bounced back with a 17-hit attack to fuel a 10-2 win in the nightcap via the run rule in six innings. The Vikings are 19-20 overall and in 5th place in the GNAC with at 8-10 in league play with six games remaining in the regular season. The top four teams in the conference standings advance to play in the GNAC Championships Tournament May 4-6 in Burnaby, B.C. SMU heads into Sunday's doubleheader 21-11 overall and in 2nd place in the conference at 8-4.
Senior designated player Kinzey Williams paced the Vikings offense Saturday going 4-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and one RBI. Freshman shortstop Hailey Rath and sophomore second baseman Kanilehua Pitoy each went 3-for-6, and sophomore third baseman Amaya Davis led all players with three RBI. Junior outfielder Isabel Cargill went 2-for-5 with two RBI.
In the nightcap, sophomore starting pitcher Joie Baker recorded the win with a four-hit complete-game performance.
The four-game series between the Vikings and Saints is scheduled to conclude Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at noon at Saints Field. Both games will feature a free webcast streamed on YouTube and live statistical updates, with direct links available at wwuvikings.com/Live.
The Saints opened the doubleheader with an 8-0 shutout victory over the Vikings, with a two-run home run in the bottom of the 6th inning by Olivia Matlock ending the game via the run rule.
WWU was limited to just four hits, with Kinzey Williams, Kanilehua Pitoy, Brooke Fesenbek and Emily Paulson each recording singles.
Senior starting pitcher Mareena Ramirez allowed five runs in 3.2 innings to take the loss falling to 13-6 on the season.
SMU starter Tia Ridings (11-3) earned the complete-game shutout victory.
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SMU 8, WWU 0 (April 15, 2023 at Lacey, WA) – Game 1
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Score by Innings
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1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
|
R
|
H
|
E
|
LOB
|
Record
|
|
Western Washington
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
x
|
-
|
0
|
4
|
1
|
7
|
18-20, 7-10
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|
Saint Martin's
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
x
|
-
|
8
|
9
|
0
|
8
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21-10, 8-3
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WWU – Ramirez, Slater (4) and Paulson
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SMU – Ridings and Schultz
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Win: Ridings (11-3) Save: None Loss: Ramirez (13-6)
WWU HR: None SMU HR: Conerly (5), Matlock (5)
Time of Game: 1:55
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WWU fell behind 1-0 in the 1st inning, but bounced back in a big way scoring four runs in the 3rd, three in the 4th and three more in the 6th for a 10-2 run-rule victory in six innings.
The Vikings pounded out 17 hits while scoring in double-digits for the fourth time this season.
Amaya Davis led the way at the plate going 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Kinzey Williams and Hailey Rath both recorded three-hit games. Isabel Cargill also drove in a pair of runs for the Vikings.
The big hitting performance backed a solid pitching effort by Joie Baker, who picked up the complete-game victory to improve to 3-4 on the season. Baker allowed four hits and two runs in the outing, striking out four and walking a pair.
Trailing 1-0, Western scored four runs in the top of the 3rd inning by sending nine batters to the plate. Davis keyed the rally with a two-run double, with consecutive run-scoring singles by Lexi Barcomb and Cargill.
After SMU cut the lead to 4-2, WWU played add-on with three more runs in the top of the 4th inning. Rath tabbed a run-scoring double and Davis drove in another run with a single. The Vikings tagged on three more runs in the top of the 6th inning to gain the eight-run advantage bringing the run rule into effect.
SMU starter Chloe Leverington (3-5) took the loss allowing 10 hits and six runs in 3.1 innings.
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WWU 10, SMU 2 (April 15, 2023 at Lacey, WA) – Game 2
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Score by Innings
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1
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2
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3
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4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
|
R
|
H
|
E
|
LOB
|
Record
|
|
Western Washington
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0
|
0
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4
|
3
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0
|
3
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x
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-
|
10
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17
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1
|
7
|
19-20, 8-10
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Saint Martin's
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1
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0
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1
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0
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0
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0
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x
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-
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2
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4
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2
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5
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21-11, 8-4
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WWU – Baker and Christensen
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SMU – Leverington, Runyon (4) and Schultz
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Win: Baker (3-4) Save: None Loss: Leverington (3-5)
WWU HR: None SMU HR: None
Time of Game: 1:45 Att: 103
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WWU (19-20, 8-10 GNAC) close out the four-game series vs. Saint Martin's Sunday (weather permitting) with first pitch scheduled for noon at Saints Field. The Vikings complete the regular season next weekend hosting Montana State Billings in a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday (April 22-23) at Viking Field in Bellingham. The Sunday game will celebrate the Vikings five senior players. Sunday's doubleheader at Saint Martin's will feature live coverage with a YouTube webcast and live statistical updates, with direct links found at wwuvikings.com/Live.
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2023 season:
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RECORD BREAKDOWN
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Overall
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19-20
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GNAC
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8-10
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Non-Conference
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11-10
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Streak
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W1
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Home
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6-3
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Viking Field
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5-3
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Away
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6-13
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Neutral
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7-4
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vs. Ranked Teams
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1-2
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1-Run Games
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7-8
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2-Run Games
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2-3
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Extra Innings
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3-2
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Shutouts
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4-5
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BY UNIFORM
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Black
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8-5
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Blue/White
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5-5
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Navy
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3-3
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|
Gray
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2-6
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White/Navy
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1-1
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Here is a look at the updated GNAC standings through games played on Saturday, with WWU in 5th place with six conference games remaining. The top four teams in the standings at the completion of the regular season advance to play in the GNAC Championships May 4-6 in Burnaby, B.C.
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GNAC SOFTBALL
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CONF
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PCT
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OVERALL
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PCT
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HOME
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AWAY
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NEUTRAL
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STREAK
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1.
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Northwest Nazarene
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14-2
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.875
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26-14
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.650
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12-4
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11-2
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3-8
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Won 5
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2.
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Saint Martin's
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8-4
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.667
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21-11
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.656
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9-3
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4-6
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8-2
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Lost 1
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3.
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Western Oregon
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11-7
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.611
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22-22
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.500
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9-1
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5-15
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8-6
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Lost 1
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4.
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Montana State Billings
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8-8
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.500
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16-22
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.421
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6-2
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4-14
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6-6
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Won 1
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5.
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Western Washington
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8-10
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.444
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19-20
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.487
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6-3
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6-13
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7-4
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Won 1
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6.
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Central Washington
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5-11
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.313
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17-23
|
.425
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8-6
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5-11
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4-6
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Lost 4
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7.
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Simon Fraser
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2-14
|
.125
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8-31
|
.205
|
1-7
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1-14
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6-10
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Lost 3
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Saturday's GNAC Softball Results
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Western Oregon 9, at Montana State Billings 0 (Game 1) – 6 inn.
at Montana State Billings 9, Western Oregon 1 (Game 2) – 5 inn.
at Saint Martin's 8, Western Washington 0 (Game 1) – 6 inn.
Western Washington 10, at Saint Martin's 2 (Game 2) – 6 inn.
Northwest Nazarene 4, at Central Washington 1 (Game 1)
Northwest Nazarene 4, at Central Washington 0 (Game 2)
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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).
