GNAC Softball: Western Oregon Stretches GNAC Lead With Sweep of Seattle

Wolves take two from Redhawks, 6-5, 8-1.

Salem-News.com SPORTS

MONMOUTH - Western Oregon rallied for a 6-5 victory in game one and then steamrolled Seattle University 8-1 in game two to lengthen their Great Northwest Athletic Conference lead to three games on Saturday afternoon at the WOU Softball Field.

The doubleheader sweep improved WOU’s GNAC record to 9-1, and they are 20-17 overall.

Seattle dropped to 6-4 in league play and to 21-17 on the year.

The clubs will meet again on Sunday morning to wrap up the three-game series at 11:00 AM.

In the first game, WOU scored two runs in the first inning when Shannon Prochaska singled home Tyler Sutherland and Trina Dorn, who had both also singled.

But the Wolves wouldn’t score again for the next four innings, leaving the bases loaded in the fourth.

Meanwhile, Seattle picked up a run in the second on a Kaha Weir RBI-single and two more in the third on a two-run triple by Brenda Stice.

In the top of the sixth, the Redhawks added another pair on a two-bag homer by Weir to make the count 5-2.

But in the bottom of the sixth, Dorn clubbed a two-out, three-run double to tie the game at 5-5.

Krysta Pennington, Shanley Young and Sutherland had all singled to set the table for Dorn’s shot to left-centerfield.

After reliever Ashley Sellers held Seattle down in the top of the seventh, Jamie Becker led off the bottom half of the inning with single.

After Becker stole second, Prochaska drilled a single to leftfield and Becker slid into home with the winning run.

Dorn was 3-for-4 with three RBI in the game for the Wolves, while Prochaska went 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Sutherland and Pennington had two hits each for the hosts, while Weir was 3-for-3 with three RBI for the Redhawks. Stice was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The second game had far less drama.

Seattle took the first lead in the fourth inning on a Stice solo home run off the centerfield scoreboard.

But the Wolves came back in the bottom half of the inning with three runs, thanks in part to RBI singles by Melissa Wilson and Bonnie Trigero.

WOU then closed the door for good in the fifth with five more plate-crossings, three of those coming on a three-run homer by Pennington. Trigero also had an RBI-double in the inning.

Christina Cooke came out of the bullpen in the fourth inning to get the win.

She pitched 3.2 innings, allowed only one hit, no runs, no walked and fanned two.

Prochaska had two hits in game two, as did Trigero, while Pennington had four RBI. No one had more than one hit in the second game for the Redhawks

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