By HAUNANI TOMAS Editor-in-Chief
Undeterred by losing in their first game, the Wolves pulled out a victory in the second game of their double-header against Saint Martin’s University to split in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Friday, April 4 at Lacey, Washington.
Although Western (15-22 overall, 7-5 GNAC) lost 5-9 to SMU in game one, the Wolves fought to beat the Saints in their second game to win 6-1.
“We had a few crucial errors during the first game that got them on a roll. [SMU is] a hard team to stop when they get going,” said pitcher Jourdan Williams.
Western remained scoreless for the first two innings of game one, until outfielder Amanda Evola scored a single RBI at the top of the third inning. The Saints led at the top of the third 2-1 thanks to a two-run home run hit by infielder Alyssa Slate.
Catcher and infielder Elaine Sperry tied the game 2-2 at the top of the fourth inning by hitting a double RBI. However, the Saints extended their lead by five at the bottom of the fourth.
Although infielder and outfielder Lexi Jennings hit a home run that also brought Williams home, the Wolves were still chasing to catch the Saints, lagging by three points 4-7 at the top of the fifth.
At the top of the seventh inning, Williams scored a single RBI to conclude game one.
Evola attributed Western’s game one defeat to a hitting deficit.
“If we can’t produce at the plate, we won’t win games,” said Evola.
And produced they did.
The Wolves maintained a three point lead throughout the first and second innings thanks to a two-RBI single hit by catcher Ku’ulei Siolo in the first and a home run by Jennings in the second.
Western allowed SMU one point in all of game two. At the bottom of the fifth, pitcher and infielder Sam Munger would be the only scorer for the Saints, attributing a single RBI.
“Our hitting was off during game one,” Evola said. “Once we were able to string some things together, we pulled out the win in game two.”
At the top of the seventh inning, the Wolves increased their lead by two to win the game 6-1.
“We had great defense and kept the momentum pretty much the whole game,” Williams said.
Williams, who pitched for the entirety of game two, said that she “hadn’t pitched for about three weeks” prior to their match-up against the Saints.
After their split against the Saints, Western prepares to take on their next GNAC opponent: Western Washington University. In their last game against the Vikings, the Wolves split to win game one and lose in the latter.
Team leaders Evola and Williams, acknowledged the speed of WWU’s batters.
“We’ve been working on our defense and being quick [be]cause [WWU] have some fast players. We’ve done a lot of hitting and worked quite a bit on the outside pitch. After last weekend, [we] have improved quite a bit with that pitch,” said Williams.
Evola also mentioned the team’s increased focus on batting.
“After playing WWU for the first time, we know we have to hit to be able to win the game. Most of our practices have been geared toward hitting and overall making us all confident at the plate,” said Evola.
The Wolves will play the Vikings for the second time in GNAC play on Saturday, April 11 at Bellingham, Washington.
