It was another busy weekend for Western Washington University softball as the Vikings won three of their five games in Turlock, California, at the 2023 Tournament of Champions.
The Vikings played five different teams — all non-conference games — at the three-day tournament from March 31 through April 2, which was majority-hosted at Pedretti Park.
Western battled the Academy of Art University, Sonoma State University, San Francisco State University, California State University East Bay and California State University San Bernardino.
Now 17-16 overall (6-6 Great Northwest Athletic Conference), Western remains in fourth place in the GNAC standings heading back into conference play this week.
Game one: WWU 14, Academy of Art 0 (five innings)
The Vikings began their tournament slate on fire, run-ruling the Academy of Art on March 31 after driving in 14 runs in the game’s first three innings.
Western had hot bats galore, racking up 13 hits as a team, with sophomore utility player Kanilehua Pitoy, senior third baseman Brooke Fesenbek and junior outfielder Isabel Cargill each tallying two.
Sophomore pitcher Joie Baker moved to 2-0 on the season after pitching a complete game, allowing just two hits and walking three batters while striking out two.
Western’s batters were a headache for Academy of Art reliever Sydney Harmon, as the sophomore allowed 10 hits, 10 earned runs and two bases on balls in 14 at-bats over two innings pitched.
The Vikings led 1-0 after the first inning before erupting for nine runs in the bottom of the second.
Cargill led off the inning for Western and singled on the frame’s first pitch. Junior catcher Emily Paulson and sophomore utility player McKenna Crum each walked on the Vikings’ next two at-bats, and the floodgates came swinging open.
Sophomore utility player Lexi Barcomb drove in the inning’s first run on an RBI single up the middle that scored Cargill. A bases-loaded walk of freshman first baseman Isabella Bay scored Paulson.
Pitoy singled to left field, scoring Barcomb and Crum before freshman shortstop Hailey Rath flied out to score Bay. Fesenbek drove in Pitoy on a single, putting Western back at the top of its order. Paulson connected on the Vikings’ lone double of the inning that scored Fesenbek, and Crum picked up two RBIs on a single that brought Paulson and Cargill home.
Fesenbek began the bottom of the third inning with the game’s best play: A double to center field that brought home three Vikings base runners.
Cargill finished the game 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs. Fesenbek was 2-for-3 batting with four RBIs and two runs scored while Pitoy went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Game two: WWU 4, Sonoma State 3 (eight innings)
Rath delivered a walk-off double on the first pitch of the bottom of the eighth inning on March 31 to defeat nationally ranked Sonoma State in the Vikings’ second game of the Tournament of Champions.
Sonoma State, which was ranked No. 13 nationally in the most recent NCAA Division II National Fastpitch Coaches Poll, entered the game at 23-4 overall. The Vikings’ win also handed Sonoma State freshman pitcher Charlie Johnson her first loss of the season (5-1).
Johnson was good, but Western senior starter Mareena Ramirez was better.
Ramirez pitched all eight innings — holding Sonoma State scoreless until the top of the fourth — and struck out nine batters while allowing five hits, three earned runs and five bases on balls to notch her 11th win of the season.
Johnson didn’t allow a single earned run in seven innings pitched, but she allowed as many hits, two walks and struck out just three of the 27 Vikings batters she faced.
Western led 3-0 after one inning, picking up runs from senior utility player Kinzey Williams, sophomore infielder Amaya Davis and Rath.
Sonoma State belted two RBI doubles across the fourth and fifth innings, tying the game at 3-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth. Western escaped catastrophe in the top of the eighth, as Sonoma State was unable to log any runs despite getting each of its first three batters on base.
Rath, who finished 2-for-4 at the plate, sealed the deal in the bottom of the inning with her double down the rightfield line that scored Pitoy.
Game three: San Francisco State 4, WWU 2
Western struggled to drive in runners in its first game on April 1, logging seven hits and leaving as many on base throughout the contest.
The Vikings had the bases loaded with two down in the top of the second inning and a chance to take an early lead, but Crum was thrown out advancing to third on a fielder’s choice.
San Francisco State proceeded to notch four runs in the bottom of the third, and Western’s two-run fourth inning wasn’t enough to jumpstart its offense.
Baker was handed the loss for Western, pitching all six innings for the Vikings and allowing three hits, four earned runs and five walks while striking out four batters.
Paulson led Western at the plate, finishing 3-for-3 with an RBI.
Game four: WWU 6, Cal State East Bay 1
The Vikings overpowered Cal State East Bay, scoring all six of their runs in the fifth and sixth innings of their second game on April 1.
Bay belted the first home run of her career in the win while Ramirez pitched another complete game to move to 12-4 on the season. Ramirez struck out six batters and walked one while allowing just three hits and one earned run.
Crum tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, crossing home plate with the aid of a wild pitch. Pitoy gave Western its first lead of the game in the same frame, grounding out on a 2-0 count that advanced Williams to third and scored Rath.
Bay was next in the order, stepping up to the plate and rocketing her first home run to extend Western’s lead to 4-1.
Ramirez held Cal State East Bay’s batters in check for the remainder of the contest to close out the win.
Williams finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored, while Bay was 1-for-3 with two RBIs, a run scored and her home run. Crum went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Western outhit Cal State East Bay 10-3 and earned all six of its runs.
Game five: Cal State San Bernardino 4, WWU 3
Western closed out its trip to California with a narrow loss to Cal State San Bernardino on April 2, in a game where all but one run was scored in the first inning.
Baker was dealt the loss for Western as she allowed all four of CSSB’s runs in the first inning and was subsequently relieved by Ramirez with one out remaining in the opening frame.
Ramirez went on to strike out nine batters while allowing just three hits and no walks — permanently shutting out CSSB’s scoring effort.
The Vikings got two runs back in the bottom of the first inning as Pitoy scored on a double to left-center field by Fesenbek and Bay drove in Fesenbek on a double to right field.
Western managed just one run the remainder of the game, in the bottom of the third, and connected on two hits over the final four innings.
Pitoy finished 2-for-3 at the plate with two doubles and two runs scored while Bay went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Up next
Western will travel to Nampa, Idaho, for a doubleheader against GNAC-leading Northwest Nazarene (19-13, 7-1 NWC) on April 7–8.
The Vikings won’t have any games in Bellingham until April 22–23 when they host a doubleheader against Montana State Billings.
The Vikings’ full schedule can be found here.
