Seattle University returned to Seattle after two weekends on the road this season for their home opener, a doubleheader versus British Columbia (5-15-1), and came away with two wins, topping the Thunderbirds 8-0 in the first game and 12-1 in the second.
"Pitching and defense were solid today, but our bats came alive," head coach Dan Powers said. "We had a lot of quality at bats today which produced for us. I was proud of how our girls battled with two strikes and put the game in motion."
In the first game, Seattle U got on the board early, scoring four runs. They started strong from the start of the inning, putting two early hits on the board, five total hits in the inning. Lisa Maulden (Maple Valley, Wash.) scored first on a double by Erin Crowley (Kent, Wash.), followed by a Jenny Hurst (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) score on a Sarah Petosa (Auburn, Wash.) single. With two outs, Allegra Wilde (Kennewick, Wash.) hit a double, bringing in Karina Smyth (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and Crowley.
The Redhawks continued their hot hitting, adding two more runs to the board in both the fourth and sixth innings to end the game and top British Columbia, 8-0 in six innings.
Richelle Ashburn (Post Falls, Idaho) started for the Redhawks and notched her second win of the season. She pitched the entire game, allowing only two hits and one walk, and striking out two.
Nicole Day got the start for the Thunderbirds and gave up eight runs on 12 hits, while walking three and striking out five.
Game two began much like game one, as the Redhawks went up 2-0 in the first inning. The Thunderbirds added a run to the board in the second, and were down by only one, 2-1, going into the bottom of the third, but it was all Redhawk domination for the remainder of the game.
In both the third and fourth innings, Seattle U put five runs each on the board to come away with the 12-1 win in five innings, their second run-rule victory of the day.
Jamie Randall started for British Columbia, giving up nine runs on 14 hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. Leigh Della Siega came also entered the game in relief.
Jessica Ulrich (Lewiston, Idaho) pitched the entire game for the Redhawks, giving up just seven hits and one run, which was not earned. This was Ulrich's first win of the season.
Seattle U (4-7) continues their homestand on Friday, Mar. 9 with a doubleheader versus North Dakota starting at 12 p.m. The Redhawks will then compete in the Husky Softball Classic at the University of Washington on Mar. 10 and 11. On Saturday, Mar. 10, the Redhawks will face North Dakota at 12 p.m., then will play host-team Washington at 3 p.m. On Saturday, Mar. 11, Seattle U will face North Dakota again at 10 a.m. and Washington at 4 p.m.