Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – Running on limited rest following the long weekend in Canada, the Montana State University Billings softball team battled hard, splitting their Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader with Western Washington University Tuesday evening. The Yellowjackets claimed the first game 6-3 before the Vikings edged out a 3-2 win in the second game despite freshman hurler Jessyka MacDonald striking out 11 batters.
 
Following the pair of GNAC games, MSUB moves to 7-4 overall and are now 4-2 in the league while WWU moves to 3-13 overall and 1-5 in GNAC action after being tabbed third in the pre-season coaches' poll.
 
“Annaleisha pitched a good first game for us,” said head coach Lisa Allen. “Our offense came out early and scored the runs we needed. Jessyka then followed that up by doing an amazing job in the circle for us in game-two. Unfortunately, we did not get the bats going until it was too late.”
 
The Yellowjackets claimed the first game 6-3 which was high-lighted by a four-run second inning that saw Taylor Hoke, Nicole Wilkerson, Rose Harrington and Rebecca Frank all score off three hits and a Viking error.
 
The Yellkowjackets' catcher, Wilkerson led the way at the plate with a 3-3 performance.
 
Jessica Carey and Amanda Flores went 2-for-3 at the plate for Western Washington to lead the Vikings.
 
Annaleisha Parsley pitched all seven innings and struck out six batters to record the victory for MSUB, improving to 2-1 while Janelle Kasch fell to 0-4 after posting seven innings of work that saw her strike out four batters.
 
In the second game, WWU eased out to an early 2-0 lead off single-run innings in the second and fifth inning before MSUB found the tying runs in the top of the sixth inning when Bobbie Lee led off with a home run. A few batters later, Emily Osborn grounded out to the first baseman but scored Harrington in the process.
 
The Vikings found the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning off a wild pitch. The run would prove to be all Western Washington would need as the Yellowjackets struggled to produce offense in the top of the seventh inning.
 
Lee went 1-2 off her home run while Harrington went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
 
Three Vikings went 1-for-2 in the second game including Flores, Meghan Carrillo and Rachelle Berry.
 
Despite posting her second loss of the season, Jessyka MacDonald struck out 11 batters as she pitched a complete game for the first time this season. She was just four strikeouts shy of the school record set twice by Joey Ehnes during the 2005 season.
 
Jenna DeRosier recorded her first win of the season to improve to 1-5 for the season after pitching a complete game. She fanned five batters in the game.
 
MSUB and WWU will rekindle their rivalry tomorrow afternoon with their second doubleheader at 1 p.m. Pacific time depending on weather.