Arianna Barrio’s dazzling diving catch headlined the Western women’s softball team’s doubleheader sweep of Simon Fraser University on Saturday, April 25.
“I just saw the ball and there was no other option but to get it,” Barrio said. “I didn’t really think anything about it until I caught it and thought, ‘oh my gosh.’”
The Vikings’ offense and defense stayed strong throughout both games. In the first game, Western won 10-0 in five innings and 5-0 in the second game. The Vikings are now 28-16 overall and has won six straight games. They are second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference at 17-7.
The Vikings have now won six games and 11 of their last 12.
It was the last two home games for Western seniors Allie Crowe, Alicia Fine and Autumn Isaacson, and each of them had strong performances. In the first game, they combined six hits, eight runs and six RBIs.
“[The seniors] did amazing things at the plate and played spectacular defense today so I’m definitely going to give them the day,” head coach Amy Suiter said.
In the bottom of the third inning Fine hit a big home run, her sixth of the season, leading to two runs.
“When I first hit it, I didn’t think it was going to go over, so when it went over, it felt exciting,” Fine said.
Crowe went two for three, scored two runs and drove in one. Isaacson was one for one and scored three runs in addition to driving in one. The Vikings scored one run in the first, four in the second and five in the third.
In the second match, both Isaacson and Crowe were two for three with Isaacson scoring two runs and Crowe with one.
Barrio was two for three in the second game.
“We almost used our entire lineup in the two games and we didn’t see a different result in either, so having that kind of depth going into post-season is super helpful,” Suiter said.
Suiter is focusing on keeping the team’s performance at the same level with bats and defense along with improving player depth.
The Vikings play next in the GNAC tournament on Thursday, April 30, in Yakima, Washington. They have earned the two seed and will open the tournament against third-seeded Montana State University Billings.
