March 15, 2008

Box Score

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - After being shelled in the opener, Western Washington University pitching ace Jessica Rosencrants (Jr., Sequim/Peninsula CC) came back to throw a two-hitter in the nightcap as the Vikings won 5-1 over arch-rival Central Washington University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday at the CWU softball field.

The defending league champion Vikings, 15-6 overall and 5-1 in GNAC action, had a three-game winning streak snapped in the first game as they gave up a season-high 14 hits, eight for extra bases, in a 9-1 loss that was called after five innings because of the eight-run mercy rule.

Central, 7-11 overall and 4-2 in league play, has won seven of its last 12 games after a 0-6 start.

In the second game, Rosencrants (Jr., Sequim/Peninsula CC) (10-4) allowed just one unearned run in the bottom of the fourth inning. She struck out six and did not issue a walk in the victory, her 11th complete game of the season.

Lisa Pendergrast (Sr., Bow/Burlington-Edison) led Western's 10-hit attack, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored and one run batted in. Michelle Wrigley (Fr., Bothell/Inglemoor) was 3-for-4, scoring one run and driving in another, and Liza Teichler (Sr., Sammamish/Skyline) was 2-for-3 with one RBI.

The Vikings took a 1-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by Caitlin Dotlich (Fr., Sedro-Woolley/Burlington-Edison).

Western added two more runs in the fourth. Wrigley led off with a double and scored on a one-out double by Pendergrast, who scored on a two-out single by Dotlich.

Wrigley drove in another run with an infield single in the fifth, and Western scored one more in the sixth as Pendergrast had a lead-off double and scored on a single by Teichler.

Holly Rossman plated Central's only run on a sacrifice fly.

In the first game, Rosencrants gave up five runs and 10 hits in 2-1/3 innings, and Emily Hardin (Fr., Bothell/Inglemoor) allowed four more runs on four hits in 1-2/3 innings of relief.

Central pitcher Linse Vlahovich (3-6) limited the Vikings to three singles, striking out five, walking three and hitting two batters.

The Wildcats scored four runs in the first, the big blow a two-run double by Kayla Jayne.

Central added one in the second on a triple by Kasey Druffel and four more in the fourth on a run-scoring triple by Jackie Hawkins and back-to-back homers by Mallory Holtman and Rossman. It was Holtman's seventh home run of the season and Rossman's fifth.

Holtman drove in three runs and scored twice for the Wildcats. Druffel was 3-for-3 and Hawkins, Holtman, Rossman and Jayne each had two hits.

Western's only run was an unearned one in the fourth. With one out, Pendergrast walked, advanced to second on a single by Teichler and scored on a throwing error on a fielder's choice by Dotlich.

Wrigley and Meghan Flem (So., Hood River, OR/Hood River Valley) had back-to-back singles for the Vikings in the fifth.

Wrigley was 4-for-8 on the day, lifting her team-leading batting average to .388 (26-for-67).

Western takes a break for winter quarter final examinations before returning to action on March 28-30 at the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif.