TURLOCK, Calif. – Western Washington University junior starting pitcher Joie Baker did it all Saturday night in a game that started after 10 pm and ended Sunday morning.
Baker led the No. 14 nationally ranked Vikings to a 1-0 victory over No. 19 and defending West Region champion Cal State San Marcos, recording the win in the circle and driving in the lone run of the game at the plate.
The Vikings got on the board first in the bottom of the 2nd inning to go ahead 1-0 over the Cougars. Singles by Ashley Jacobson and Emily Paulson set the stage for a one-out RBI single Bakerthrough the left side of the infield.
The only thing that slowed Baker down the rest of the way in the circle was a rain delay in the 4th inning, but the junior right-hander got stronger as the game went on limiting the Cougars to four hits while throwing her third career shutout. Baker improved to 8-1 on the season while out-dueling San Marcos ace Jayline Sloss (10-3).
With its fourth consecutive victory, WWU improved to 4-0 in the Tournament of Champions, 13-0 in games played in California this season and 21-4 overall in 2024.
Sophomore shortstop Hailey Rath went 2-for-2 with a double to extend her hitting streak to five consecutive games, and reached base in all three of her plate appearances also being hit by a pitch.
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#14 WWU 1, #19 CSUSM 0 (March 23, 2024 at Warrior Field)
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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
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5
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6
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7
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R
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H
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E
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LOB
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Record
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Cal State San Marcos
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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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0
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0
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-
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0
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4
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2
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6
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17-11
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Western Washington
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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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0
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x
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-
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1
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5
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0
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6
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21-4
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CSUSM – Sloss and Alvarez
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WWU – Baker and Andrewjeski-Ramirez
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Win: Baker (8-1) Save: None Loss: Sloss (10-3)
WWU HR: None SM HR: None
Time of Game: 1:50 Attendance: 100
Note: First pitch at 10:25 pm
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The Vikings (21-4, 2-2 GNAC) conclude play Sunday in the Tournament of Champions taking on San Francisco State at 2:30 pm at Warrior Field. The three-day tournament is hosted by Stanislaus State University with more information available at WarriorAthletics.com. The complete 2024 WWU Softball schedule can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com.
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS HISTORY
WWU is off to a 4-0 start to this year's Tournament of Champions and has played in every TOC hosted by Stanislaus State University since the first tournament in 2002. During the 21-year history of the TOC the Vikings have combined to go 70-56 as the only GNAC team to post a winning record in the tournament. WWU went 3-2 at the TOC last season and was perfect at 5-0 during the 2019 edition of the tournament. Vikings have posted a .500 or better record at the TOC in 13 of the 20 trips to Turlock, including seven of the last eight dating back to the 2014 season.
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2024 season:
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RECORD BREAKDOWN
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Overall
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21-4
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GNAC
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2-2
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Non-Conference
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19-2
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Streak
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W4
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Home
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6-3
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Away
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5-0
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Neutral
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10-1
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Day Games
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18-4
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Night Games
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3-0
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vs. Ranked Teams
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4-2
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1-Run Games
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9-2
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2-Run Games
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1-1
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Extra Innings
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4-1
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Shutouts
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3-2
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BY UNIFORM
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Black
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8-0
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Blue/White
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6-1
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Navy
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0-1
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Gray
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4-1
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White/Navy
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3-1
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Gray/Blue
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0-0
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