GNAC Softball: Western Oregon, Seattle Split Doubleheader

Katie Antich (SU) and Tyler Sutherland (WOU) had three hits each in the game to lead their teams.

WOU's Tyler Sutherland Photo: Western Oregon Athletics

SEATTLE, Wash. - Western Oregon’s quest for a first-ever Great Northwest Athletic Conference softball title moved one step closer to fruition on Friday when the Wolves split a league doubleheader with Seattle University at Logan Field.

The Redhawks won the first game 8-4, but WOU came back to win the very important nightcap, 7-4 in 10 innings.

The Wolves moved to 14-4 in conference play (25-21 overall), while Seattle moved to 13-7 in the GNAC and 30-21 on the season.

The two teams will square off again tomorrow in a non-conference game, start time is 2:30 PM.

The Wolves will then travel to Bellingham to take on Western Washington on Saturday in a doubleheader at noon.

The Vikings took a pair of games today from Saint Martin’s (4-0 and 3-1) to move to 13-5 in conference play heading into Saturday’s showdown, just one game behind the Wolves.

Another split by WOU in that match-up with the Vikings would give the Wolves the conference title and the automatic berth into the NCAA Division II West Region Championship that goes with it.

Western Washington needs to win both games to claim the title.

Seattle’s conference schedule is now complete and they cannot catch the Wolves.

The regional tournament begins next Thursday (May 10) at Cal State Stanislaus in Turlock, Calif.

In the first game, Seattle erupted for four runs in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead.

Brenda Stice had a two-run base hit in the inning as the hosts knocked around WOU starter Brianne Dieringer.

Western Oregon would cut the Redhawks lead to 6-4 with three runs in the top of the sixth inning, as Jamie Becker rapped a two-run double.

But Seattle answered with two insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning to secure the win.

Katie Antich (SU) and Tyler Sutherland (WOU) had three hits each in the game to lead their teams.

In the second game, with the international tie-breaker in effect, Western Oregon scored three times in the top of the tenth inning, and then held the Redhawks off the board in the bottom half of the inning to secure the ulcer-producing win.

The lead changed hands four times (including two ties) before the two squads headed to extra innings.

In the eighth inning, both teams got runners to third base, but could not score.

In the tenth, the international tiebreaker rule kicked in, with each team placing a runner on second base to begin the inning.

The Wolves took advantage and followed the gift with an RBI-double by Becker, a run-scoring single by Shannon Prochaska and a sacrifice fly by Bonnie Trigero to take a 7-4 lead.

In the Redhawks final opportunity, they loaded the bases but Dieringer put out the fire to pick up the win in relief.

Becker had three hits in the game and two RBI, while Prochaska went 2-for-3 with two runs knocked in.

Heather Hansen and Kelli Marek starred at the plate for Seattle with 4-for-5 offense in game two.

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