March 13, 2008

Box Score

NAMPA, Id. - Western Washington University survived a scare to win 5-2 in nine innings over Northwest Nazarene University in the opener of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader Thursday at Halle Field.

The defending league champion Vikings, who improved to 13-5 overall and 3-0 in GNAC action, left 15 runners on base, two short of the school record.

Northwest Nazarene fell to 0-20 overall and 0-5 in conference play, losing for the 26th straight time. The Crusaders dropped their last six games in 2007.

Western took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh, only to have NNU rally to tie the score at 2-all on a lead-off home run by Vanessa Shaw and a run-scoring single by Shawna Juarez.

Viking starting pitcher Jessica Rosencrants (Jr., Sequim/Peninsula CC) settled down, retiring seven of the last eight in upping her record to 9-3. She scattered five hits, opening the game by setting down the first 11 NNU batters.

Western took a 1-0 lead in the third as Jenna Mohrweis (Fr., Mill Creek/Jackson) walked and scored on a two-out single by Samantha Rutherford (Fr., Kenmore/Inglemoor). An unearned run in the fifth put the Vikings in front 2-0.

After both teams went scoreless in the eighth, Western scored three runs in the ninth. Rutherford singled, went to third when there was a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt by Michelle Wrigley (Fr., Bothell/Inglemoor), and scored on an infield single by Meghan Flem (So., Hood River, OR/Hood River Valley). Liza Teichler (Sr., Sammamish/Skyline) drove in another run on a fielder's choice and Caitlin Dotlich (Fr., Sedro-Woolley/Burlington-Edison) had an RBI-single.

The Vikings' Lisa Pendergrast (Sr., Bow/Burlington-Edison) was 3-for-4 and Rutherford 2-for-5. Mohrweis was on base six times, drawing three walks, being hit by a pitch, and reaching on a fielder's choice and error.

Rachel Bare (0-11) pitched all nine innings for NNU. The home run by Shaw was her first of the season and just the second overall by the Crusaders.