Western Washington Vikings Softball - Western Washington University Official Athletic Site

Western drops two to begin northern California road trip

Vikings lose 6-1 to Hawaii Hilo and 7-6 in eight innings to Cal State Monterey Bay

Stephanie Fox

March 23, 2010

Box Score

SEASIDE, Calif. - A road trip to northern California got off to a bad start as Western Washington University lost 6-1 to Hawaii Hilo University and 7-6 in eight innings to Cal State Monterey Bay in non-league softball action Tuesday at Otter Field.

The losses dropped the Vikings' record to 8-10. Hawaii Hilo improved to 22-8 and CSUMB upped its ledger to 18-8.

Western's Stephanie Fox (So., Sammamish/Eastlake) extended her hitting streak to 11 games and raised her batting average to .375 (18-for-48) with three hits in the two games. The school record is 18 by Jen Brandolini in 1998.

In the first game versus Hawaii Hilo, Western managed just four hits against Vulcan pitcher Sarah Weisskopf, who improved to 5-2 with a complete-game victory. Fox doubled in the Vikings' only run in the seventh inning.

Kelsey Anderson (Jr., Mount Vernon) also had a double for Western, and Krista Bickar (So., Hoquiam) and Jessica Carey (So., Everett) each had singles.

Hawaii Hilo scored one run in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the sixth, the big blow in that frame being a two-run double by Aisha Sueda. Sueda also doubled and scored in the fourth.

Sierra Green also had two hits for the Vulcans, scoring two runs and driving in another.

Erika Hendron (Fr., Redmond), 2-2, pitched the first five innings for Western, and Erika Quint (Jr., Silverdale/Central Kitsap) worked the sixth.

In the second contest against CSUMB, the Vikings held a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh, only to have the Otters send it into extra innings on a two-out double by Jessica Moon.

With the international tie breaker rule in play, Western went ahead 6-5 with a run in the top of the eighth. But in the bottom of that frame, CSUMB took advantage of an error to plate two runs for the victory.

The Vikings opened the scoring with two runs in the third as Fox singled and went to third on a double by Carey. Meghan Flem (Sr., Hood River, OR/Hood River Valley) and Bickar followed with run-scoring singles.

CSUMB got three runs in the bottom of the third, Nicole Garcia knocking in two with a single.

Western scored three runs in the fifth on a bases-loaded double by Jordan Emmil (So., Colville).

Fox, Flem and Anderson each had two hits for the Vikings, and Sarah McEnroe (Sr., Woodinville) (3-3) pitched a complete game, allowing 11 hits and striking out seven.

On Wednesday (1 p.m.), Western is at San Francisco State University for a doubleheader, then competes in the Tournament of Champions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Turlock, Calif.