By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Behind 12 innings from GNAC Championships Most Valuable Player Alanna Wirtala, Western Washington rallied to beat Simon Fraser twice on Saturday at Fredrick Field to capture the 2026 softball tournament title.

It was the Vikings’ GNAC-best fifth softball conference tournament title, and they became the first-ever GNAC team to win three consecutive GNAC Championships.
 

2026 GNAC Softball Championships All-Tournament Team
Name	Position	School
Monica Bourque	Pitcher	Simon Fraser
Alanna Wirtala - MVP	Pitcher	Western Washington
EmmaJoy Wise	Catcher	Western Washington
Olivia Matlock	First Baseman	Western Washington
Ella Booth	Second Baseman	Simon Fraser
Maleah Andrews	Third Baseman	Western Washington
Grace McMillan	Shortstop	Simon Fraser
Taylor Orgeles	Outfielder	Saint Martin's
Ava Clark	Outfielder	Northwest Nazarene
Rachel Traxler	Outfielder	Western Washington
Laila Carpenter	Outfielder	Western Washington
Nazli Chavez	Designated Player	Western Washington

Game 1 – Western Washington 3, Simon Fraser 2 | Box Score
Olivia Matlock laced a walk-off single into right-center in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving the Vikings a walk-off win to force the decisive championship game.
 
After early fireworks – the teams combined to score three of their five runs in the first inning – it was the pitchers in the spotlight the rest of the way. Simon Fraser ace Monica Bourque pitched all 7 1/3 innings allowing three runs – two earned – on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts and three walks. Wirtala took to the circle in the third inning and shut SFU down with six scoreless frames, allowing two hits, one walk and striking out three.
 
SFU struck early, with Ella Booth delivering an RBI-single and Makena Simmons following with a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0 in the top of the first. The SFU offense stalled the rest of the game however, leaving eight runners on base and failing to cross the plate again.
 
WWU got one run back in the bottom of the first, thanks to all-tournament catcher EmmaJoy Wise who drove in Maleah Andrews with a single. Wise then tied the game in the third inning with another RBI-knock, on her way to going 3-for-3 with two runs batted in.
   

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Game 2 – Western Washington 8, Simon Fraser 6 | Box Score
A four-run fourth inning shifted momentum into the Vikings’ favor for good, as they rode another strong relief outing from Wirtala to claim the trophy. She once again tossed six innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three walks and a strikeout.
 
This time it was Western Washington to start the game with a bang, as a two-run single by Matlock and an RBI-single by Laila Carpenter made the score 3-0 in the top of the first. SFU responded immediately with RBIs by Grace McMillan, Booth and Cassidy Affeldt to pull the score even at 3-3.
 
One of the biggest swings of the bat of the tournament came from SFU’s Lizzy Sugrive, who launched a two-run home run to give her team its first lead of the game, 5-3 in the bottom of the second. Disaster struck for the Red Leafs in the top of the fourth however, as three fielding errors aided the Vikings in plating four unearned runs to retake the lead 7-5. It was once again Matlock to deliver a big hit for her team, as she plated two runs on a single to left field.
 
Wise drove in another run on a single in the fourth, giving the Vikings an important insurance run. The Red Leafs managed to scratch a run across against Wirtala in the sixth and put the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. But the GNAC Freshman of the Year dug deep, retiring the final hitter to end the game and prompt WWU’s championship celebration for the third year in-a-row.
 
COMING UP: The NCAA will announce its field of teams who will compete in next week’s national tournament on Monday at 10 a.m. (Eastern). The tournament win earned WWU the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships, which will take place next week.