Western Washington University Athletics

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team battled some adversity – and high winds – during the second day of the 2026 GNAC Championships on Friday at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field.

 

Coming off an impressive 11-2 victory on Thursday to open the tournament, the No. 2 seed Vikings were upended by No. 4 seed Simon Fraser 9-5 in a winner's bracket morning game. WWU rebounded in the afternoon eliminated No. 1 seed and regular-season GNAC champion Saint Martin's with a 12-4 victory.

 

Coming out of the elimination bracket, the two-time defending GNAC Tournament champion Vikings aim for a pair of wins on Championship Saturday with the first game against Simon Fraser slated for noon in Ellensburg with a live webcast on the GNAC Network.

 

The opening game featured the Vikings jumping out to a 4-2 lead through the first four innings, but SFU jumped ahead with a 5-run top of the 5th inning highlighted by a 2-run home run by Cassidy Affeldt and a 2-run double by Grace McMillan.

 

After a short break with Saint Martin's playing Northwest Nazarene in an elimination game (won 9-7 by the Saints), WWU was back in action Friday afternoon.

 

The Vikings got off to a great start with a leadoff home run by Maleah Andrews in the top of the 1st inning, but that would be the lone hit for Western until exploding for five runs in the top of the 5th inning. The Vikings capitalized on a two-out error when the SMU right fielder dove and couldn't come up with the catch to score a pair of runs. Freshman Nazli Chavez tied the game with a sharp RBI single to left field and Olivia Matlock singled off third base to plate the go-ahead run. Laila Carpenter added an insurance run with another 2-out RBI.

 

WWU added six more runs in the top of the 7th inning to put away any thoughts of a Saint Martin's comeback extending its lead to 12-4. 

 

Every player in the starting lineup scored at least one run, with Andrews, EmmaJoy Wise and Rachel Traxler crossing the plate twice.

 

Taking over in the circle in the bottom of the 2nd inning, freshman pitcher Alanna Wirtala was masterful in relief, allowing one run over 6.0 innings to earn her 25th victory of the season (25-11).
 

 

Simon Fraser 9, Western Washington 5 (May 08, 2026 at Ellensburg, WA)

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Simon Fraser.......... 002 050 2 -  9 13  5      (17-31)

Western Washington.... 012 100 1 -  5  8  2      (31-20)

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SFU: Bourque and Sugrive

WWU: Wirtala and Wise

Win-Bourque (11-14)  Loss-Wirtala (24-11)  T-2:30  A-181

HR SFU - Affeldt (9)

 

Western Washington 12, Saint Martin's 4 (May 08, 2026 at Ellensburg, WA)

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Western Washington..... 100 050 6 - 12 10  1      (32-20)

Saint Martin's......... 300 100 0 -  4  8  3      (34-19)

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WWU: Massena, Wirtala (2) and Wise

Saint Martin's: Vaughan, Peterson (5), Norfleet (7) and Detrinidad

Win-Wirtala (25-11)  Loss-Vaughan (13-7)  T-2:30  A-191

HR WWU - Andrews (12)

 

The Vikings (32-20) advance to Championship Saturday at the GNAC Tournament and will face Simon Fraser at noon in Ellensburg with first pitch scheduled for noon. WWU needs a pair of wins over SFU coming out of the elimination bracket to claim its third consecutive GNAC Championships title. More information on the 2026 GNAC Softball Championships can be viewed online at GNACSports.com, including tournament results and the updated bracket.

 

The 2026 GNAC Softball Championships is being played at Gary & Bobbi Frederick Field on the campus of Central Washington University in Ellensburg. The four-team double-elimination tournament will determine the recipient of the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. WWU is the two-time defending champion of the tournament and leads the conference with four GNAC postseason titles.

 

 

Thursday, May 7

Game 1: No. 2 Western Washington 11, No. 3 Northwest Nazarene 2 (5 inn.)

Game 2: No. 4 Simon Fraser 5, No. 1 Saint Martin's 4

 

Friday, May 8

Game 3: No. 4 Simon Fraser 9, No. 2 Western Washington 4

Game 4: No. 1 Saint Martin's 9, No. 3 Northwest Nazarene 7 (NNU eliminated)

Game 5: No. 2 Western Washington 12, No. 1 Saint Martin's 4 (SMU eliminated)

 

Saturday, May 9

Game 6: 12:00 pm – No. 4 Simon Fraser vs. No. 2 Western Washington

Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary), 30 minutes following Game 6

WWU has advanced to play in nine of the 13 GNAC Championship tournaments, winning titles 2017, 2021 and back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025. The Vikings are 18-9 all-time in GNAC Championships play. WWU had its seven-game GNAC Tournament winning streak snapped in Friday's loss to Simon Fraser.

 

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2026 season:

 

 

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 131-45 (.744).