STANFORD, Calif. - Seattle U softball (2-3) capped the first weekend of the season with back-to-back wins, smothering Fresno State (1-2) 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at Stanford Stadium.
Senior Nicola Simpson guided the Redhawks' victory from the circle holding a 2.10 ERA and striking out a new career high eight batters. She pitched all 7.0 innings and faced 27 batters on the day while only allowing five hits and a run.
Graduate Jasmine Wehn accounted for five putouts, while sophomore Karen Spadafora grabbed eight, one shy of her career high. Sophomore Sophia Kissling matched Wehn with five putouts for a new career high. Both Spadafora and Simpson locked up two assists a piece to pace the Redhawks.
Wehn had a major hand in the Redhawk offense, knocking out three hits in three at bats with 3 RBI hitting .471 on the day. Freshman Abbie Fales extended her hitting streak to three games after sending out her first collegiate home run in the second inning and grabbing a single in the sixth for a .600 batting average.
In addition to Fales' run, senior Tai Wilson picked up two runs on the day, while sophomore Mikee Morris recorded one of her own. Wilson had a hit in four at bats, scoring twice while hitting .389 on the day.
Wilson, Wehn and Fales combined for six of the seven Redhawk hits on the day. Sophomore Avari Morris came in for the start at DP and clocked her first hit of the season in three at bats.
Wilson opened the day with a single before Wehn's double brought her in for the first score of the day. In turn, Simpson struck out two batters in the bottom of the first to maintain the Redhawks 1-0 lead after an inning.
Facing an out, Fales stepped up to the plate and hammered a home run to left center field to put Seattle U up 2-0. The Bulldogs were kept scoreless through two innings behind putouts from Kissling, Simpson and junior KJ Hopfer.
After Fresno State got on the board in the third, the Redhawks broke through once more in the top of fifth. A 2 RBI single from Wehn brought in Wilson and Mikee Morris to pad Seattle U's win 4-1. Simpson struck out two more batters in the fifth to keep the Bulldogs from scoring in back-to-back innings.
Neither team scored through the remainder, but Simpson would continue her career day by striking out three more batters between the sixth and seventh innings to cement the Redhawks' win 4-1.
Seattle U improves to 2-1 in neutral site contests on the season while moving to 4-1 against Fresno State all-time. The Redhawks return to action next weekend, heading back to California for their second tournament. The weekend begins in Riverside, Calif. with a one-off against Utah State before spending Saturday and Sunday with Pacific and CSUN at the CSUN Matador Classic from February 15-16.
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Senior Nicola Simpson guided the Redhawks' victory from the circle holding a 2.10 ERA and striking out a new career high eight batters. She pitched all 7.0 innings and faced 27 batters on the day while only allowing five hits and a run.
Graduate Jasmine Wehn accounted for five putouts, while sophomore Karen Spadafora grabbed eight, one shy of her career high. Sophomore Sophia Kissling matched Wehn with five putouts for a new career high. Both Spadafora and Simpson locked up two assists a piece to pace the Redhawks.
Wehn had a major hand in the Redhawk offense, knocking out three hits in three at bats with 3 RBI hitting .471 on the day. Freshman Abbie Fales extended her hitting streak to three games after sending out her first collegiate home run in the second inning and grabbing a single in the sixth for a .600 batting average.
In addition to Fales' run, senior Tai Wilson picked up two runs on the day, while sophomore Mikee Morris recorded one of her own. Wilson had a hit in four at bats, scoring twice while hitting .389 on the day.
Wilson, Wehn and Fales combined for six of the seven Redhawk hits on the day. Sophomore Avari Morris came in for the start at DP and clocked her first hit of the season in three at bats.
Wilson opened the day with a single before Wehn's double brought her in for the first score of the day. In turn, Simpson struck out two batters in the bottom of the first to maintain the Redhawks 1-0 lead after an inning.
Facing an out, Fales stepped up to the plate and hammered a home run to left center field to put Seattle U up 2-0. The Bulldogs were kept scoreless through two innings behind putouts from Kissling, Simpson and junior KJ Hopfer.
After Fresno State got on the board in the third, the Redhawks broke through once more in the top of fifth. A 2 RBI single from Wehn brought in Wilson and Mikee Morris to pad Seattle U's win 4-1. Simpson struck out two more batters in the fifth to keep the Bulldogs from scoring in back-to-back innings.
Neither team scored through the remainder, but Simpson would continue her career day by striking out three more batters between the sixth and seventh innings to cement the Redhawks' win 4-1.
Seattle U improves to 2-1 in neutral site contests on the season while moving to 4-1 against Fresno State all-time. The Redhawks return to action next weekend, heading back to California for their second tournament. The weekend begins in Riverside, Calif. with a one-off against Utah State before spending Saturday and Sunday with Pacific and CSUN at the CSUN Matador Classic from February 15-16.
Donate Today
Fans interested in making a gift to Seattle University Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly impacts all Redhawk student athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Thank you for supporting Seattle University Athletics!
Follow Along With the Action
Stay connected with Seattle U softball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.