Western Oregon finally burst the Cal State Stanislaus softball team's bubble.
The co-champion from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference defeated the Warriors 4-0 at the West Region Championships on Thursday in Arcata, sending them to the losers bracket in the double-elimination tournament.
Stanislaus, the California Collegiate Athletic Association champion and defending West Region champ, had won 19 consecutive games on the road. Stanislaus will play host Humboldt State in an elimination game today at 9 a.m.
Timely hitting by the Wolves, three Warrior errors and a ball lost in the sun contributed to Thursday's loss. Western Oregon pitcher Katie Fleer (20-5), the GNAC Pitcher of the Year, scattered six hits and drove in a run with a single in the fifth. She also doubled.
Stanislaus (31-22) went from the emotional high of catcher Jessica Scholl throwing out a runner at second in the third inning, to pitcher Jen Arnold losing a pop-up in the sun. Western Oregon's Tyler Sutherland was safe at first, and eventually scored on a Jessica Hallmark single for a 1-0 lead.
Western Oregon then used four hits -- including two bloopers in the outfield -- and two Warrior errors to score three runs in the fifth and take a 4-0 lead.
Kimiko Wright was the only Stanislaus player with two hits off Fleer. Arnold (13-12) gave up six hits and one earned run in 4º innings.
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