TRACY, Calif. – Going up against the top two teams in the current national coaches poll in the same day is no easy task, and the Western Washington University softball team passed a tough test with flying colors.
The Vikings held a 5-1 lead over No. 1 nationally-ranked Cal State Marcos before dropping the game 10-6 and came back in the afternoon shutting out No. 2 Cal State East Bay 11-0 in a run-rule-shortened 5-inning game. WWU is 8-7 on the season and 2-2 at the NorCal Crossover at the Tracy Sports Complex.
"We learned a lot about ourselves in the first game today and it was great to see the team come together and respond in a big away the second game against a good team," said WWU head coach Sheryl Gilmore. "Evalyn (Massena) is getting better with each outing and she's competing her tail off to fight for our team. We are all so proud of the legacy Hailey Rath continues to leave here at WWU. It's a testament to her incredible work ethic and she is so easy to celebrate because of the type of person and teammate she is."
Senior shortstop Hailey Rath became WWU's all-time hits leader with her first-inning single against Cal State East Bay, giving her 219 career hits passing former Teammate Kanilehua Pitoy (218 from 2022-25). Rath has reached base safely in each of the last 13 games.
Sophomore second baseman Haylee Kim combined to go 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI in the two games and senior first baseman Olivia Matlock was 3-for-7 with four RBI. Sophomore catcher EmmaJoy Wise added three hits and scored three runs. Junior third baseman Maleah Andrews hit her fourth home run of the season and 15th of her career in the opener vs. Cal State San Marcos.
Sophomore pitcher Evalyn Massena earned her first career win in the shutout performance against Cal State East Bay, scattering two hits in 5.0 innings.
WWU's 11-0 victory over Cal State East Bay (17-2) WWU erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, fueled by a two-run double to left field by Kim.
Western built a 5-0 lead against Cal State San Marcos (18-1) through the first two innings, with Matlock providing a two-run single in the opening frame and another RBI single in the 2nd inning. Leading 6-3 through four innings, the Cougars scored three runs in the 5th inning and four in the 6th inning to record the comeback victory.
#1 Cal St. San Marcos 10, Western Washington 6
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Western Washington.... 410 100 0 - 6 6 2 (8-8)
Cal St. San Marcos.... 012 034 X - 10 9 0 (17-1)
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Western Washington - Wirtala and Wise
Cal St. San Marcos – Cardenas, Madison (4) and Rodriguez
Win-Cardenas (6-0) Loss-Wirtala (7-5) T-2:12 A-48
HR WWU – Andrews HR CSUSM - Karam
Western Washington 11, #2 Cal State East Bay 0
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Cal St. East Bay...... 000 00 - 0 2 3 (16-2)
Western Washington.... 090 2X - 11 10 1 (9-8)
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Cal St. East Bay – Gamble, Fuentes and Mead
Western Washington - Massena and Wise
Win-Massena (1-0) Loss-Gamble (4-2) T-1:27 A-47
The Vikings (9-8) complete play in the NorCal Crossover Sunday taking on Chico State at 11:30 am at the Tracy Sports Complex. WWU is back in action next week with a four-game non-conference series at Saint Martin's March 6-7. More information on the 2026 season can be found at WWUVikings.com/Team34.
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2026 season:
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RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall
|
9-8
|
|
GNAC
|
0-0
|
|
Non-Conference
|
9-8
|
|
Streak
|
W1
|
|
Home
|
2-0
|
|
Away
|
0-1
|
|
Neutral
|
7-7
|
|
vs. Ranked Teams
|
1-2
|
|
1-Run Games
|
2-1
|
|
2-Run Games
|
1-1
|
|
Extra Innings
|
1-0
|
|
Shutouts
|
2-1
|
|
BY UNIFORM
|
|
Light Blue Pinstripes
|
0-4
|
|
Navy/White
|
2-1
|
|
Black
|
3-2
|
|
Gray
|
3-1
|
|
White/Navy
|
1-0
|
|
Gray/Blue
|
0-0
|
The WWU softball is in its 34th season in 2026 while coming off a historic 47-13 season in 2025. The Vikings claimed their fourth GNAC title by winning the 2025 postseason tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the seventh time in program history. Playing in the NCAA postseason for the seventh time, WWU won its second consecutive West Regional title defeating Cal State East Bay in the sub-regional and Cal State San Marcos in the Super Regional. The historic season ended playing in the D2 World Series in Chattanooga, Tennessee, reaching the semifinal round (Final Four). WWU has posted a winning record 22 times during the 33-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. Over the last three seasons the program has combined to go 108-33 (.766).
