BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team had its five-game winning streak snapped dropping both games of its Friday doubleheader against Western Oregon University at Viking Field.
WWU dropped the opening game 5-3 and lost the nightcap 8-3 to fall to 13-10 on the season. The two teams wrap up the four-game series Saturday with the first doubleheader scheduled to start at noon. The games do not count towards the GNAC standings with the official start to conference play next week.
The Vikings stormed out to a 3-0 lead following their first at-bat in the opener, but Western Oregon responded with a four-run fourth inning. After starting pitcher Alanna Wirtala recorded the first nine batters she faced, the Wolves took the lead with the four-run frame and added two more runs in the top of the sixth inning.
WOU controlled the second game jumping out to a 6-0 lead and completed the doubleheader sweep to extend its winning streak to six consecutive games.
Senior shortstop Hailey Rath led the Vikings going 5-for-7 with a run scored and RBI in the doubleheader, increasing her team-leading batting average to .414 (29-for-70). Senior first baseman Olivia Matlock went 3-for-6 with a pair of RBI at the plate and allowed one earned run in 4.0 innings of relief combined between the two games. Junior third baseman Maleah Andrews recorded three hits in the doubleheader, extending her hitting streak to nine consecutive games.
Western Oregon 6, Western Washington 4 (Game 1)
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Western Oregon.......... 000 402 0 - 6 10 0 (12-10)
Western Washington...... 300 001 0 - 4 10 2 (13-9)
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WOU: Stansbury and Cordero
WWU: Wirtala, Matlock (6) and Wise
Win-Stansbury (3-0) Loss-Wirtala (10-6) T-1:51
Western Oregon 8, Western Washington 3 (Game 2)
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Western Oregon......... 100 511 0 - 8 9 2 (13-10)
Western Washington..... 000 120 0 - 3 8 1 (13-10)
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WOU: Barnett, Abbas and Bodak
WWU: Massena, Matlock (4, Wirtala (7) and Wise
Win-Barnett(4-3) Loss-Massena (2-1) T-2:36 A-102
The Vikings (13-10) continue their 12-game homestand Saturday closing out the four-game series against Western Oregon with a doubleheader starting at noon. 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
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13-10
|
|
GNAC
|
0-0
|
|
Non-Conference
|
13-10
|
|
Streak
|
L2
|
|
Home
|
2-2
|
|
Away
|
3-1
|
|
Neutral
|
8-7
|
|
vs. Ranked Teams
|
1-2
|
|
1-Run Games
|
3-1
|
|
2-Run Games
|
2-1
|
|
Extra Innings
|
1-0
|
|
Shutouts
|
2-1
|
|
BY UNIFORM
|
|
Light Blue Pinstripes
|
0-4
|
|
Navy/White
|
3-1
|
|
Black
|
5-2
|
|
Gray
|
3-1
|
|
White/Navy
|
2-2
|
|
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 112-35 (.762).
