Mount Hood

End of the road for the Road Warriors

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

On April 7, Wolves softball was bottom of the GNAC, with only one win in conference play. On May 7, they played in the conference championship game.

Because they were the fourth and final seed in the playoffs, the Wolves were slated to face the Central Washington Wildcats in the first round on Thursday, May 4.

The Wildcats were the top ranked team in the conference and the regular season champions. They were also the team that defeated Western Oregon in the 2016 championship game to win the GNAC crown.

But they were also the team that the Wolves swept in a doubleheader on April 30 to claim their playoff spot. And, after not playing a home game all year, the team that call themselves the Road Warriors were undaunted by the trip to Lacey, Washington.

That confidence helped the Wolves pull the 4-3 upset.

The game started on May 4 but wouldn’t be finished until May 5, as severe thunderstorms swept across Lacey force a delay.

After nearly 26 hours, the winning run was scored by sophomore Ryanne Huffman in the sixth inning. Huffman hit a single and was able to advance to second and third on two wild pitches before senior Ashlee Lynch batted her in on a sacrifice fly.

Sophomore pitcher Haley Fabian picked up the win, advancing to 13-8 on the season with five strikeouts.

The double-elimination tournament meant that Central Washington would keep playing, but through the loser’s bracket. Western Oregon advanced to face the Western Washington Vikings.

The Vikings were the number two team in the tournament and, much like the Wolves, were on a hot streak. They had won nine games in a row. Their last loss was on April 22, when the Wolves beat them 1-0.

The tournament meeting turned out to be a pitcher’s duel between Fabian and Vikings ace Anna Kasner. The game went into extra innings before the Wolves fell 1-2. Kasner recorded 13 strikeouts in the game.

The Wolves had one more shot to make the championship game, but they had to take on the Wildcats again to get there. This game was much more explosive, and the Wolves won 8-6.

Senior Destiny Kuehl and first-year student Chandler Bishop each slugged home runs in the fourth inning. Senior Kelsie Gardner scored three runs on the day as the Wolves topped Central Washington for a fourth consecutive game and returned to face Western Washington.

Again Kasner took the mound for the Vikings, while junior Lizzet Dominguez started for the Wolves.

The game began as tight as the first game, with three up and three down for both sides in the first inning.

In the second inning, things fell apart. Western Washington scored two runs on Dominguez, who was pulled for senior Sammi Cadwallader, before the Vikings scored three more.

“Walks were our downfall,” said Ku’ulei Siolo, senior catcher. “I was feeling the pressure and knew we couldn’t let them score more than a few runs to stay in the game because our hitting hadn’t been strong against Kasner.”

Dominguez was pulled after giving up a walk with bases loaded, which gave the Vikings their second run.

Cadwallader inherited the loaded bases with two outs but wasn’t able to shut the Vikings down. Two of the runners had been walked and one hit by a pitch to reach base. All three would cross home plate before Cadwallader forced the final out.

The rest of the day was a pitcher’s affair with little offensive action. The Wolves ultimately lost 0-5.

“Of course I’m sad it’s over,” Siolo said. “I never really thought it would end, but here I am. But I think this season will be a great example for future WOU softball players, that no matter the circumstances, we can overcome the worst situations. I’ll miss this sport, but I think this program will make a name for itself.”

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Alpha Wolves are top dogs once more

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

For the 14th time in the past 17 years, Wolves baseball are the regular season GNAC champions.

The 2017 title was secured over the course of two days of action in Monmouth – the only baseball played on Western Oregon’s campus all year.

In two days of double headers against Northwest Nazarene, the Wolves won one and lost one on each day.

The first split came on May 4. The Wolves lost the home opener 2-5, then came thundering back to win the afternoon game 11-3.

That victory secured at least a share of the conference title.

The Wolves went into the third inning trailing 0-1 when they were able to open up scoring. First-year student Connor McCord hit a single with junior Garrett Anderson on base. A throwing error by the Northwest Nazarene infield brought Anderson across home plate.

The Wolves picked up five total runs in that inning alone, the start of a three-inning burst from the Wolves. They held an 11-2 lead in the fifth when the game was put on pause.

After a season full of games being canceled and relocated due to weather, it was only fitting that a game finally played in Monmouth would get a weather delay. The May 4 thunderstorm that swept across the Northwest sent a few bolts into the Monmouth-Corvallis area. Fans in the aluminum bleachers were encouraged to find shelter as the game was halted for 30 minutes.

When the game continued, the Wolves were able to coast on their huge lead to the victory.

In the second day of action, the Wolves put up an even bigger win, at 20-2. This game made the Wolves the outright regular season champions.

Seniors Joey Crunkilton and Brock Pradere and junior Jacob Martinez each scored three runs. Martinez recorded two doubles and three RBIs.

15 runs came in the first two innings.

“Going into every game we have the mentality of applying pressure first,” said Nyles Nygaard, junior third baseman, who had two runs and three RBIs in the win. “The first two innings were huge for us, we applied a ton of pressure which made us slow the game down and take quality at bats. It was a great team effort.”

Though this was the 14th time the Wolves accomplished this in the past 17 years, it was the first one in two years. After a 13-year streak, the last two seasons were dry ones for Western Oregon baseball.

First-year student Torreahno Sweet joined the team just in time to skip the two-year title gap. “Sweet T,” as his teammates call him, has made a quick impact, posting a batting average of .345 over the season. Only the veteran catchers, redshirt sophomore Justin Wakem and senior Boog Leach, had better averages.

“It was great to play with this group of guys,” Sweet said. “We are one big family and we play the game hard.”

The Wolves are the number one seed and will face Montana State Billings in the first round of the playoffs. In the regular season, Western Oregon went 7-1 in their eight games against the Yellowjackets, where they scored a total of 62 runs to average 7.75 runs a game.

“We are all excited,” Nygaard said. “We have practiced and prepared so much for big situations so we are ready to get after it.”

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Springing into action

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Under blue skies and bright sun, the football team hosted the 2017 spring game.

The May 6 game was held at McArthur Field and gave Wolves fans a look at the work the team has put in over spring practice.

Last year’s two quarterbacks, Philip Fenumiai and Nick Duckworth, are seniors in the fall and competed against one another as Western Oregon players divided into a red team and white team. Underclassmen Ty Currie, Wyatt Hutchinson and Blake Walker were also tested.

“I honestly think it’s a group effort,” said Trey Shimabukuro, quarterback coach for the Wolves. “Offensively we simplified things for our guys which allowed them to play fast and understand the ‘why’ behind the playcall. We still have a long way to go as a position, but I am excited to see the progress we have made.”

Last year’s defensive leader was Bo Highburger, who will be a junior in the fall.

“Took some big steps as a team today,” Highburger said. “Two players that stood out to me, although I’m pretty preoccupied with playing the game myself, were linebackers Andrew Weber and Nate Proctor.”

Highburger also had praise for wide receiver Harrison White, who was redshirted last season.

“It was cool to see our young guys progress and make plays on both sides of the ball,” said wide receiver Zack Suarez, who will be a senior. “As a whole I think it went really well. It was nice to be in that environment after the last few weeks of spring ball.”

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Track and field finds success in two meets

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Western Oregon track and field competed in Eugene and McMinnville, as they took on the Oregon Twilight and the Linfield Open.

Junior David Ribich won the men’s 1,500-meter at the University of Oregon on May 5. His winning time was 3:45.01.

Sophomore Dustin Nading won his event in the 1,500-meter as well. The Oregon Twilight hosted a B Section of the 1,500-meter, giving Nading the opportunity to take the victory with a time of 3:50.24.

Women sprinters also did well for the Wolves, as first-year student Grayson Burke claimed second place in the 400-meter, crossing the finish line in 58.67 seconds. The women’s 4×100 relay team took another second place finish. The team, composed of Burke, senior Laura Patrick, junior Sara Madden and sophomore Madeline Bernard, finished in 49.68 seconds.

Success continued for the Wolves on May 6, when some competed in the Linfield Open.

Two event wins were recorded, as sophomore Olivia Woods took the women’s 400-meter with a time of 57.19. Junior Megan Rose came in right behind her with a second-place time of 57.89.

The other event win was claimed by first-year student Sawyer Heckard in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 10:05.24.

Grayson Burke claimed another second-place finish, running the 800-meter in 2:21.21.

The Wolves track and field team now focuses on the GNAC outdoor championships, which will be hosted in Monmouth on May 12 and 13.

Contact the author tat journalsports@wou.edu

Closing in on the conference title

By: Burke De Boer
sports editor


Wolves baseball swept St. Martin’s and then split a pair of doubleheaders with Central Washington, remaining top of the GNAC after the week’s six games.

The April 26 games against St. Martin’s were played on neutral ground in Portland’s Porter Park, where the Wolves won 5-3 and 5-1.

In bottom of the first game’s eighth inning, the game was tied at 3-3. Junior Nyles Nygaard hit a double to score senior Joey Crunkilton, for Crunkilton’s second score of the game. Nygaard was shortly batted in by sophomore Justin Wakem for the two point lead.

St. Martin’s never threatened in the second game, as junior pitcher Brady Miller recorded eight strikeouts and gave up only one run while pitching a complete game.

On April 28, the Wolves faced the Central Washington Wildcats in Ellensburg, Washington. The number two team in the conference, the Wildcats had a lot to gain from defeating the Wolves. On the first day of competition, the Wolves were able to prove why they’re top in the standings, winning 6-4 and 11-7.

Wakem and junior Garrett Anderson each recorded three hits and two RBIs in the first game, and Crunkilton hit his second home run of the season.

The second game featured four lead changes as the offenses went back and forth in the later innings. Junior Cody Dykstra scored on a wild pitch for the lead in the eighth inning. Nygaard then singled to bat in junior Jacob Martinez.

Nygaard went on to steal second and third base before being batted in, along with first-year student Torreahno Sweet, off a Wakem single.

The second day of action in Ellensburg was tougher on the Wolves, who lost 11-13 and 6-8.

The two games were massive scoring affairs. In the last two frames of the first game, a total of 12 runs were scored.

At the start of the eighth inning, the Wolves trailed 5-7, with the game still in reach, when Central Washington put up six runs on first-year pitcher Justin Doleful.

The Wolves answered with six runs of their own, including a three-run homer from junior Jay Leverett. But it wasn’t enough. Justin Wakem, who had previously scored two runs and an RBI, struck out swinging to end the game.

Late-inning drama again unfolded in the day’s second game; the Wolves went up 6-2 only to give up six more runs and fall again.

The Wolves maintain their top spot in the conference, with four games left to play before the playoffs begin on May 10.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Westbrook makes his closing argument

By: Burke De Boer
sports editor


After the first round of the NBA playoffs, Russell Westbrook is now home watching the remaining teams compete.

The frontrunner for the NBA Most Valuable Player award, Westbrook is reduced to a civilian. His only MVP competitor is James Harden.

Unlike Westbrook, Harden has advanced to the second round of the playoffs. His Houston Rockets team took down Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder in four games.

The series put the two teams head-to-head, and was predicted to be the indicator for which player truly is the most valuable.

Harden edged Westbrook out of the playoffs. The question now is if he will take the award as well.

Cameras caught Houston fans taunting Westbrook in the Rockets-Thunder series, by holding a sign reading, “The real MVP is over there.” Westbrook is seen looking at the sign, which has an arrow pointing toward Harden.

It was good-natured, competitive ribbing that we can expect from organized sports and fan bases. It was funny because there was some truth to it. After all, wouldn’t the real MVP be able to get his team to advance in the playoffs?

Though he bowed out of the big dance early, Westbrook still leads the MVP voting by an ever-increasing margin, because the head-to-head matchup of the two teams seemed to have the opposite effect from their outcome.

Westbrook, in his first season without Kevin Durant, averaged a triple-double on the season. Only one other player had ever done that, and that was 55 years ago.

The Thunder finished sixth place this season, which is well below the finish of a typical MVP candidate. First round exits aren’t typical MVP fodder either, but these games against the Rockets served to show how much Westbrook is truly doing.

Harden had the most points and assists on his team in most of the games of the series. The fourth game was a poor showing from Harden, but he still led his team in assists.

Westbrook had the most points, assists and rebounds on the Thunder every game, and was often the overall leader of these numbers.

He outscored Harden in three out of five games, he out-assisted Harden in four out of five games and he outrebounded Harden in every single game.

Westbrook put the Thunder on his back and took them as far as he could. If this translates to an MVP award remains to be seen, but it would be a surprise to see him surpassed.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Road wins take Wolves to the playoffs

By: Burke De Boer
sports editor

The 2017 Wolves softball team call themselves the Road Warriors.

After 49 regular games, with every home game being canceled and relocated due to weather and field conditions, they traveled 14,655 miles to play ball. The Road Warriors will travel again come May 4. This time to Lacey, Washington, to compete in the GNAC championships.

One month earlier, the Wolves were dead last in the conference.

“This whole season has been a string of bad luck, with injuries and ineligibilities,” said Ku’ulei Siolo, senior catcher. “But now that everyone is back together, I think we’re really finding our groove.”

Corvallis is as close as Western Oregon Softball would get to playing on the Western Oregon Softball Field in 2017. They “hosted” two double headers at Oregon State, facing St. Martin’s on April 29 and Central Washington on April 30.

The Wolves split their first day of competition, first beating the Saints 9-5 then losing 4-5.

After the split series, the Wolves needed to win only one game against Central Washington to secure a playoff spot. They came out and took both legs of the doubleheader, 5-1 and 4-0.
The game was tied 1-1 when sophomore pitcher Haley Fabian took the mound in the first game. She threw four shutout innings on the way to the playoff-clinching victory.

“We had nothing to lose,” Fabian said. “We needed to secure our spot in the GNAC. I just had to trust my stuff and my team.”

Even after clinching their playoff berth, the Wolves didn’t slow down.

“It was such a relief to get the first win and a huge confidence booster to win the second game,” Siolo said. “When we first p
layed Central, we played phenomenal and barely lost on a couple ill-timed errors. So being able to shut down Central and show them we won’t be rolling over any time soon was amazing.”

Central Washington are the top seed this year, so the Wolves meet them again in the first round. Last year the Wildcats defeated Western Oregon in the GNAC championship game. But the Road Warriors feel confident heading into the matchup.

“Coming off that sweep is huge for us and really fired us up,” said Hailee Watilo, senior right fielder, who hit a home run in the 4-0 win. “We know it’s going to be a battle and that’s what our team’s always looking for.”

“I think Central will need to rearrange their strategy a lot if they plan on winning on Thursday,” Siolo said. “We’re peaking at the perfect time right now.”

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

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