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
