The softball struggled to put runs on the board Friday, losing to , 4-1, and #1 , 8-0, on the first day of the Husky Softball Classic at Husky Softball Stadium.
(8-7) scored in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a double by Arielle Wiser and a single from Jackie Heide. answered in the top of the third when Jamie Foote () led off with a deep home run to right field to tie the game, 1-1.
In the fifth inning, SeattleU threatened to score as Jessica Amador () doubled and Foote singled. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk loaded the bases, a strikeout and a popup stranded the runners on base, keeping the score tied. struck in the bottom of the sixth with three singles and a fielding error by , scoring three times to seal the victory.
Kelsey Reynolds () suffered the loss, allowing nine hits and four runs, two of them earned. Nichole Latham picked up the victory for the Vikings, scattering four hits and two walks while striking out five batters. Heide and Jana Rae Slayton each had two hits for , while Foote was the only Redhawk with two hits in the game.
In the second game, the top-ranked Huskies struck quickly, scoring twice in the first inning and three times in the second inning to jump on top, 5-0. Meanwhile, Washington ace Danielle Lawrie showed why she is one of the best pitchers in the country, striking out seven of the first nine batters over the opening three innings.
SeattleU finally broke through in the fourth inning, as Katie Antich (, ) earned a bunt single and Megan MacIsaac () walked. However, three straight strikeouts looking by Lawrie ended the rally. Lawrie also used the strikeout to get out of trouble in the fifth inning, as Kaha Weir (, ) walked and Jodie Schmehr () singled before back-to-back punchouts ended the inning.
(15-0) ended the game in the sixth inning as Ashley Charters and Niki Williams hit back-to-back home runs to left field. With two outs, Alicia Blake singled and Morgan Stuart drove in pinch runner Alyson McWherter with a double, invoking the eight-run rule that ended the contest.
Lawrie finished with 13 strikeouts, giving up only two hits and two walks in six innings. Hannah Klein (, ) took the loss for , giving up 12 hits and eight runs while walking two and striking out one batter. The top five batters in the Husky lineup combined to go 11-for-17 with all eight runs scored and driven in.
(2-5) will look to end this mini-slide Saturday morning, Feb. 28, facing starting at 10 a.m. to kick off the second day of the Husky Softball Classic. Justin Kesterson and Jason Behenna will be providing a live audio broadcast to be available on GoSeattleU.com.