IRVINE, Calif. – The Western Washington University softball team dropped its 2025 season opener 7-1 to Cal State East Bay in an early-morning game Friday to open play in the CUI Kickoff Classic at Great Park.
The No. 2 nationally ranked Vikings were limited to three hits in the contest, with sophomore third baseman Maleah Andrews going 2-for-2 with two doubles and a pair of walks, driving in the lone run with an RBI double in the top of the 7th inning.
Cal State East Bay got off to a quick start scoring five runs in the first two innings, including three in the opening frame to chase Western starter Alli Kimball from the game (0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER).
The Pioneers, an NCAA tournament team a year ago, came out swinging with 12 hits in the contest, led by a 3-for-4 performance from leadoff hitter Ashlee Toy and Ysabella Cortez going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Starting pitcher Marissa Quintero (17-11, 2.06 ERA in 2024) recorded the complete game recording eight strikeouts in her season debut.
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CSUEB 7, WWU 1 (Jan. 31, 2025 at Irvine, CA)
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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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#2 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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0
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1
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-
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1
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3
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1
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8
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0-1
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Cal State East Bay
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3
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2
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0
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0
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2
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0
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x
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-
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7
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12
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1
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9
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1-0
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WWU – Kimball, Kong (1), Huston (6) and Andrewjeski-Ramirez
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CSUEB – Quintero and Garcia
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Win: Quintero (1-0) Save: None Loss: Kimball (0-1)
WWU HR: None CSUEB HR: None
Time of Game: 2:14 Att: 62
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The Vikings are back on the field at the CUI Kickoff Classic Friday afternoon facing No. 15 Cal State Dominguez Hills at 4 pm in a rematch of last year's West Super Regional. The game vs. the Toros will feature live stats and a pay-per-view webcast with links at WWUVikings.com.
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025 season:
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RECORD BREAKDOWN
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Overall
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0-1
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GNAC
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0-0
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Non-Conference
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0-1
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Streak
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L1
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Home
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0-0
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Away
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0-0
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Neutral
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0-1
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vs. Ranked Teams
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0-0
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1-Run Games
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0-0
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2-Run Games
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0-0
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Extra Innings
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0-0
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Shutouts
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0-0
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BY UNIFORM
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Light Blue Pinstripes
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0-1
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Blue/White
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0-0
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Navy
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0-0
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Gray
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0-0
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White/Navy
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0-0
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Gray/Blue
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0-0
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Here is a detailed look at WWU's five-game schedule at the CUI Kickoff Classic. A very informative tournament website is available at CUIGoldenEagles.com, which includes important fan information in regards to tickets and field locations. All games will feature live statistical updates online with links listed below:
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Date
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Opponent
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First Pitch
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Field
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Friday, 1/31
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Cal State East Bay
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L, 1-7
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#4
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Friday, 1/31
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Cal State Dominguez Hills
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4:00 pm
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Stadium
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Saturday, 2/1
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Azusa Pacific
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8:00 am
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#4
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Saturday, 2/1
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Vanguard
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3:30 pm
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#3
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Sunday, 2/2
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Cal State San Bernardino
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8:30 am
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Stadium
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The WWU softball program begins its 33rd season in 2025 while coming off a historic 52-12 season in 2024. The Vikings claimed their third GNAC title by winning the 2024 postseason tournament at Viking Field and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the sixth time in program history. Playing on its home field in the NCAA postseason for the first time, WWU won its first West Regional title defeating Cal State San Marcos in the sub-regional and Cal State Dominguez Hills in the Super Regional. The historic season ended playing in the national championship series as part of the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival in Longwood, Florida. WWU has posted a winning record 21 times during the 32-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.
