Apr. 25, 2016
Wildcats Win GNAC Softball Title
The Central Washington University softball team earned the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season championship Saturday afternoon after splitting its contests with Simon Fraser University by scores of 6-7 and 19-1.
The regular season title is the third in school history and first since 2011. The Wildcats end the regular season with a 34-13 record and an 18-10 mark within the GNAC.
Multiple records were either set or tied throughout the day, highlighted by Kailyn Campbell becoming the Wildcats all-time leader runs batted in, surpassing her former coach and Wildcat alumni Mallory Holtman-Fletcher. Campbell sits at 132 career RBI and the junior still has one more season left.
In the 19-1 blowout, the Wildcats tied a school record for most runs in a game and set a new school record for most hits with 22.
In the nightcap, 13 different players recorded a hit in the contest and seven different players had two or more RBI. The first inning was extremely fruitful for CWU as they scored 11 runs in the frame including a grandslam by Andrea Hamada.
The Wildcats added four more in the third inning on a two run single by Taylor Ferleman and a double by Rachael Johnson that plated Sammy Morris and Ferleman.
With the Wildcats up big, Laura Steiner replaced Kailyn Campbell at first base and hit a solo homerun to left field in the fourth inning and singled home a run in the fifth. It was Steiner's first homerun as a Wildcat.
Haley Fritz ended the Wildcats scoring frenzy with a single down the left field line that scored Bailey Wetmore and Celine Fowler.
Austin Wilkerson went 6 for 7 on the day with four RBI. Both Fowler and Campbell had four hits with Campbell driving in five runs.
The Wildcats will next head to the GNAC Tournament in Lacey, Wash. as the top seed and will play either Concordia or Western Washington in the first round on Apr. 28.
4/25/16