GNAC Softball: Western Oregon Wins Silver Bracket Title

Wolves top Toros, Roadrunners at Mizuno tourney.

WOU's Trina Dorn Photo: WOU Athletics

TURLOCK, Calif. - Western Oregon finished up three days flush with softball games with a pair of wins over Cal State Dominguez Hills (7-4) and Cal State Bakersfield (2-1) to win the Silver Bracket title at the 2007 Mizuno Tournament of Champions at Pedretti Park in Turlock, Calif.

The Wolves went 3-4 in the tournament against top NCAA Division II competition from California (which included a 9-8 win over No. 3 nationally ranked Humboldt State on Saturday), and will return home with a 13-16 overall record.

They will then hit the road again for Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests at Central Washington (Thursday) and Northwest Nazarene (Saturday).

Against Cal State Bakersfield, Amanda Fleer laced RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings to give the Wolves just enough offense for the win.

With the score tied at 1-1 in the sixth, Sara Tucholsky led off with a single, and pinch-runner Jessica Merriman moved to second two outs later on Jamie Becker’s base hit. Fleer then followed with the game winner.

Brianne Dieringer got the win, scattering nine Roadrunner hits, walking just one and striking out two.

The Wolves had nine hits on offense, with Becker joining Fleer with a pair of hits each.

With the loss, Cal State Bakersfield, who is in the process of moving to the NCAA Division I level, fell to 22-17.

In the Silver Bracket semi-final, the Wolves bunched runs together in the second inning (three) and the fifth stanza (four) to put away the Toros.

Trina Dorn led off with a home run to jump start a five-hit second inning, and later in the fifth, the Wolves took advantage of four walks and a Dominguez Hills error to plate four runners—with only one hit.

After taking a 7-1 lead, WOU survived a three-run Toro sixth inning, and reliever Ashley Sellers put CSUDH down in order in the seventh to get the win.

Tyler Sutherland was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI to lead WOU on offense. The Toros fell to 20-18 with the loss.

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