Western Washington Vikings Softball - Western Washington University Official Athletic Site

Vikings finish season with split at Montana State Billings

Quint strikes out 10 as Western wins opener 5-2, lose nightcap 2-1

Erika Quint

May 8, 2010

Box Score - Game 1

Box Score - Game 2

BILLINGS, Mont. - Pitcher Erika Quint (Jr., Silverdale/Central Kitsap) struck out 10 and catcher Jackie Rothenberger (Fr., Coquitlam, BC/Gleneagle Secondary) was 4-for-4, scoring one run and driving in another, as Western Washington University defeated Montana State University Billings, 5-2, in the opener of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference softball doubleheader Saturday at Cenex Stadium.

Western, which lost the nightcap 2-1, finished the season 27-25 overall and third in the GNAC standings at 22-17. The Yellowjackets ended their campaign 23-29 overall and fourth in the conference at 19-21.

The Vikings won 14 of their last 22 games following a 13-17 start.

Trailing 1-0 in the first game, Western scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Rothenberger led off with a single and went to third on a one-out double by Jessica Carey (So., Everett). Kelsey Anderson (Jr., Mount Vernon) and Caitlin Dotlich (Jr., Sedro-Woolley/Burlington-Edison) followed with back-to-back run-scoring singles and Anderson scored on an error.

The Vikings also scored single runs in the fifth and sixth. Rothenberger drove in the fifth-inning run with a single. Dotlich led off the sixth with a double, went to third on a bunt single by Karli Baumgartner (Jr., Silverdale/Central Kitsap), and scored as Baumgartner was thrown out trying to steal second.

Quint improved to 11-9 with the complete-game victory. She allowed just one earned run, giving up five hits and walking five. MSUB left eight runners on base with at least one every inning.

Carey and Dotlich each had two hits for Western.

In the second contest, the Vikings scored their only run in the first as Michelle Wrigley (Jr., Bothell/Inglemoor) hit a one-out single and eventually scored on a single by Dotlich.

MSUB scored twice in the second on a two-run single by Madison Smith, who finished 3-for-6 on the day with three runs batted in.

Western pitcher Sarah McEnroe (Sr., Woodinville) was the tough-luck loser (13-10), allowing seven hits and striking out four in six innings.

Josie Grotbo (7-9) got the win for the Yellowjackets, scattering four hits and walking four.

Meghan Flem (Sr., Hood River, OR/Hood River Valley) finished as Western's leading hitter with a .353 average (49-for-139), followed by Wrigley at .303. Flem also topped the team in hits (49), home runs (5), RBI (23), walks (41) and on-base percentage with a school record .503.

Quint had a 2.66 earned run average with 148 strikeouts in 144-2/3 innings, and McEnroe posted a 2.73 ERA, walking just 17 in 153-2/3 innings.