Western Washington University softball is headed to its first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship series on Friday following a 7-1 win over the University of Indianapolis in the second game of the semifinals on Wednesday, May 22.
The Vikings, as they have all postseason, took the hard route. Their quarterfinal loss Monday, May 20 meant three straight wins were needed to reach the championship — including two over No. 4 Indianapolis (60-7) in the semifinals at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood, Florida.
“It definitely feels like it was meant to be,” Western head coach Sheryl Gilmore said. “I also kind of feel like we always knew this is where we would be, but it also hasn’t really sunk in that we’re here now.”
No. 6 Western (52-10) will now meet No. 2 UT Tyler (54-8) in the best-of-three series beginning at 9 a.m. PDT on Friday, May 24. UT Tyler dealt Western its only loss of the World Series in a 10-1 defeat on May 20.
In the first game against Indianapolis, Western batted 8 for 45 (.178). It was 13 for 36 (.361) in the second to clinch a National Championship berth.
Freshman Alli Kimball pitched 5.2 innings and allowed six hits, one earned run and two walks while striking out one. Fellow freshman Kaiana Kong pitched the final 1.1 frames and allowed one hit, no runs and one walk.
Western’s stellar pitching staff and defense stranded 23 Indianapolis base runners in two games.
“What a day. Between the extra innings, I just felt like we were out there with [Indianapolis] all day long. They’re a great program,” Gilmore said. “Kinzee Smith, I think, is one of the best pitchers in the country, if not the best or the top two. Really impressive.”
From the fourth inning of the first game to the fifth inning of the second, the Greyhounds went 14 straight innings without scoring a run.
The Vikings’ momentum carried over from the first game. Western began the game with three straight hits, capped off by a three-run home run from sophomore Hailey Rath.
Rath’s homer was just the second that Indianapolis senior pitcher Kenzee Smith gave up this season. It was the Western sophomore’s only highlight of the game, but it was a big one.
“I just ran around the bases, and I was like, ‘Wow. I just did that,’” Rath said. “I knew we wanted to try and score first and get the game rolling.”
Western entered the World Series with the lowest season batting average (.293) among all eight teams in the tournament. It gave the nation’s top pitcher the most trouble in the circle she has faced all season.
After notching eight hits against Smith in the previous 12-inning win over Indianapolis, the Vikings had four in just the first inning. Smith entered the World Series as the national leader with a 0.34 ERA. She gave up six to Western in two games.
Juniors Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez and Kanilehua Pitoy each hit deep RBI doubles to give Western a 6-0 lead. Andrewjeski-Ramirez, who finished 2 for 3 batting with two RBIs, drove in another run in the top of the fifth to extend the lead once more.
Finally, after 289 pitches on the day, Indianapolis pulled Smith — relieving their star pitcher with fifth-year senior Kaitlyn Brown. As Western continued to rack up hits, junior Jayden Casebolt came into the game in place of Brown.
Smith gave up 11 hits before she was pulled. That was the most she has allowed in one game in her collegiate career.
Indianapolis’ lone run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning on a single by Smith that scored fifth-year senior Emily O’Connor.
Western won the NAIA National Championship in 1998 before joining the NCAA the following year. Now, in its 32nd season, Team 32 is chasing the first NCAA title in program history.
How to watch
All games during the 2024 NCAA Division II Softball National Championship can be streamed live and free online by visiting NCAA.com/liveschedule. Western fans can find the Viking logo and click to watch the game. A direct link also is available by bookmarking wwuvikings.com/SB_Watch.
Connor J. Benintendi is a former CDN sports reporter, send tips and information to newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
