The Saint Martin’s softball team, the top-seeded squad in the GNAC Tournament, knocked off Northwest Nazarene 9-7 in an elimination game before falling to Western Washington 12-4 in a second elimination game in Ellensburg Friday.
The Saints finished one win shy of playing for the GNAC title Saturday. Saint Martin’s started the tournament by falling to Simon Fraser Thursday.
In the opener against Northwest Nazarene, the Saints played from behind early after the Nighthawks plated two runs in the first inning. Taylor Orgeles drove in a run in the second, and Faith Prosch’s grounder forced an error that allowed two runs to score, tying the game at 3-3.
After the Nighthawks scored two in the bottom of the second, Orgeles hit a solo home run in the fourth inning. In the fifth, Kaylee Walker tied the game with an RBI single as the bases were loaded, and Orgeles followed her with a grand slam to center field for her second homer of the day. Saint Martin’s led 9-5 through five innings, and the Nighthawks could only muster up two more runs in the fifth.
Orgeles finished 3 of 4 with two home runs and six RBIs, her second career three-hit game and first career multi-homer game. Six RBIs was also a career-best. Bridget Johnson pitched four innings for the Saints, and Amanda Peterson tossed three hitless frames in relief.
In the second elimination game against Western Washington, the Vikings led off the first inning with a solo home run but left the bases loaded. After a bases-loaded walk by Walker in the bottom of the first, Orgeles stayed sizzling at the plate, driving in two with an RBI single. Elissa Dewees added an RBI single in the fourth to give the Saints a 4-1 lead.
Western Washington erupted for five runs on three hits and two SMU errors in the fifth, and the Vikings blew the game open with six runs on five hits in the seventh.
Saint Martin’s (34-19) now waits for Monday’s NCAA selection show for the chance at an at-large bid to the NCAA West Regionals. The selection show is set to take place at 7 a.m. PT on Monday and can be streamed on the NCAA’s website.
