BILLINGS, Mont. – The Western Washington University softball team split its Friday doubleheader at Montana State Billings in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
Playing on the road for the first time in over a month, the Vikings won the opener 8-3 over the Yellowjackets and dropped the nightcap 10-2 in 5 innings. WWU moved to 21-14 overall and 7-3 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
Junior third baseman Maleah Andrews led the Vikings going 4-for-5 in the doubleheader with two walks, a home run and three RBI to improve her season batting average to .417 (42-for-101) with a 1.317 OPS (.772 SLG, .545 OBP). Freshman pitcher Alanna Wirtala recorded her 17th win of the season in the opener, the most among all GNAC pitchers.
WWU and MSUB conclude the four-game conference series Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 12 pm MT (11 am PT) at Avitus Group Stadium in Billings.
Game 1 – WWU 8, MSUB 3:
The Vikings broke open a close game with four runs in the top of the 5th inning, with sophomore catcher EmmaJoy Wise providing the big blow with a three-run home run.
MSUB took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning on a home run by Ashley Akers, but the Vikings answered with the big 5th inning to take the lead. WWU added three more insurance runs in the top of the 7th inning on a two-run home run by Maleah Andrews and a run scoring single by Haylee Kim.
Freshman starting pitcher Alanna Wirtala recorded the win to improve to 17-8 on the season earning a complete-game victory allowing six hits and three runs on 96 pitches.
Andrews went 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and three RBI, Wise went 2-for-4 with three RBI and leadoff hitter Payton Chacon scored three runs and had three stolen bases to move into the top 10 in program history with 21 on the season.
Western Washington 8, MSU Billings 3 (Game 1)
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Western Washington..... 001 040 3 - 8 11 2 (21-13, 7-2 GNAC)
MSU Billings........... 001 100 1 - 3 6 3 (3-35, 1-12 GNAC)
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WWU: Wirtala and Wise
MSUB: Butler, Akers(7) and Hood
Win-Wirtala (17-8) Loss-Butler(1-12) T-1:54
HR WWU - Andrews (6); Wise (7)
HR MSUB - Akers (2)
Game 2 – MSUB 10, WWU 2 (5 inn.):
The Yellowjackets jumped out to a 5-0 lead with five runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning and never looked back in the run-rule-shortened 5-inning game. MSUB added three runs in the 3rd and earned the walk-off win with two runs in the bottom of the 5th inning for the 10-2 victory.
Trailing 8-2, the Vikings got a pair of runs back on a two-run home run by junior center fielder Laila Carpenter in the top of the 4th inning. WWU was limited to five hits by MSUB pitchers Shelby Wasilewski (3.0 IP) and Avery Gray (2.0 IP).
The Vikings pitching allowed eight walks during the game, with five eventually coming in to score runs.
MSU Billings 10, Western Washington 2 (Game 2)
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Western Washington..... 000 20 - 2 5 1 (21-14, 7-3 GNAC)
MSU Billings........... 053 02 - 10 9 1 (4-35, 2-12 GNAC)
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WWU: Massena, Ferguson (2), Matlock (4) and Wise
MSUB: Wasilewski, Gray(4) and Hood
Win-Wasilewski(1-2) Loss-Massena (3-3) T-1:45 A-127
HR WWU - Carpenter (2)
HR MSUB - Tovar (2)
The Vikings (21-14, 7-3 GNAC) close out the four-game series at MSUB on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled to start at 12 pm MT/11 am PT. 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:
|
RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall
|
21-14
|
|
GNAC
|
7-3
|
|
Non-Conference
|
14-11
|
|
Streak
|
L1
|
|
Home
|
9-5
|
|
Away
|
4-2
|
|
Neutral
|
8-7
|
|
vs. Ranked Teams
|
1-2
|
|
1-Run Games
|
5-3
|
|
2-Run Games
|
3-2
|
|
Extra Innings
|
2-0
|
|
Shutouts
|
2-1
|
|
BY UNIFORM
|
|
Light Blue Pinstripes
|
2-4
|
|
Navy/White
|
6-2
|
|
Black
|
7-4
|
|
Gray
|
3-1
|
|
White/Navy
|
3-3
|
|
Gray/Blue
|
0-0
|
Here is a look at the current GNAC standings Friday's games in conference play:
|
|
School
|
GNAC
|
CONF %
|
Overall
|
OVERALL %
|
Home
|
Away
|
Neutral
|
Streak
|
L10
|
|
1.
|
Saint Martin's
|
7-1
|
.875
|
22-12
|
.647
|
3-4
|
4-0
|
15-8
|
W7
|
9-1
|
|
2.
|
Simon Fraser
|
10-4
|
.714
|
12-24
|
.333
|
5-1
|
6-12
|
1-11
|
L1
|
6-4
|
|
3.
|
Western Washington
|
7-3
|
.700
|
21-14
|
.600
|
9-5
|
4-2
|
8-7
|
L1
|
7-3
|
|
|
Western Oregon
|
7-3
|
.700
|
21-16
|
.568
|
9-3
|
7-3
|
5-10
|
W1
|
6-4
|
|
5.
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
5-7
|
.417
|
25-14
|
.641
|
10-2
|
7-7
|
8-5
|
L1
|
4-6
|
|
6.
|
Central Washington
|
2-10
|
.167
|
8-26
|
.235
|
6-10
|
0-7
|
2-9
|
L1
|
1-9
|
|
7.
|
Montana State Billings
|
2-12
|
.143
|
4-35
|
.103
|
1-5
|
1-20
|
2-10
|
W1
|
2-8
|
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 120-39 (.755).
