By: Lindsey Knight, GNAC Digital Media Assistant

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The 2026 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Softball Championships commenced on Thursday at Frederick Field, featuring a pair of matchups between the #2 Western Washington Vikings and the #3 Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks, and the #1 Saint Martin’s Saints versus the #4 Simon Fraser Red Leafs.
 
GAME ONE: #2 Western Washington 11, #3 Northwest Nazarene 2 (5 Innings) | Box Score
 
The reigning GNAC tournament champion Western Washington Vikings faced off against the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in the opening game of the tournament. GNAC Freshman of the Year Alanna Wirtala got the start in the circle for the Vikings, but the Nighthawks were able to plate a run early off an RBI-single from Emma Bumatay in the top of the first. The Vikings wasted no time in evening the score via a single from freshman Nazli Chavez to score one off GNAC Pitcher of the Year Miah Lusk. Lusk would settle in after the early jitters, retiring the next nine of ten batters including six strikeouts. The Nighthawks collected another run in the second, capitalizing on a Vikings error and aggressive baserunning to score one off an Ava Clark single.
 
The final three innings proved to be a dominant affair for Western Washington. Scoring five runs apiece in the fourth and fifth innings, WWU got a pair of grand slams from GNAC Player of the Year Maleah Andrews and former Player of the Year Hailey Rath. Andrews would finish 2-for-2 with two walks, four RBIs, and three runs. Chavez had the only other multi-hit line with a solo home run of her own in the fifth inning. Wirtala went to work in the circle, shutting down the final 10 batters she faced. The freshman allowed just three hits, one earned run, and one walk, while striking out six. The Vikings would walk-off run the rule the Nighthawks in the fifth inning with a final score of 11-2.
 
“They rose to the occasion… (Alanna)’s been lights out all year long, that’s nothing new for her” said WWU head coach Sheryl Gilmore when asked about her freshman’s performance, “Then for Naz to come in at that DP spot as a freshman and do what she did was huge for us.”
 
Rath, who broke the scoring wide open with her grand slam in the bottom of the fourth, commented on preparing such a dominant pitcher in NNU’s Lusk. “We worked all week at practice to what her pitching is, and we did a really good job. It shows that our process is there, and the outcomes are showing the work we put in.”
   
GAME TWO: #4 Simon Fraser 5, #1 Saint Martin’s 4 | Box Score
 
The 2:30 p.m. game slot featured the GNAC regular season champion Saint Martin’s Saints and the #4 seeded Simon Fraser Red Leafs. The game featured a pair of all-conference honor pitchers in SFU’s Monica Bourque and SMU’s Kayla Vaughan, who each held the opposing team scoreless through the first two innings.
 
The Saints would strike late in the third inning, scoring three runs with two outs. Senior Shelby Lawson singled up the middle following an Elissa Dewees single to drive in the first run of the game. Former Co-GNAC Player of the Year Heather Ebner reached on a walk and would immediately come around behind Lawson off a Jennessy Lopez 2-RBI double despite being thrown out at third on the play. The Saints held the three-run lead until the top of fifth inning.
 
Despite having eight baserunners reach in the first four innings, the Red Leaf’ offense was held without a run. But the script quickly flipped in the fifth inning. The first two batters reached on fielding errors by the Saints, followed by a single from Ella Booth to load the bases for Simon Fraser. Five-hole batter Cassidy Affeldt would wait for the perfect pitch in a full count to launch a long ball over the right field wall, a grand slam to give the Red Leafs a 4-3 lead. Despite a pitching change for the Saints, two more defensive errors would allow another run to cross, extending the lead to two for Simon Fraser.
 
The Saints threatened the lead in sixth inning, bringing it down to one while capitalizing on misplayed ball in the outfield by Simon Fraser. But the Red Leafs’ Bourque would keep the Saints’ offense at bay for the remainder of the game, giving the Simon Fraser Red Leaf’s the 5-4 upset over the number one seed. Bourque finished the complete game with six hits allowed, three earned runs, three walks, and five strikeouts.
 
“They just fought throughout the whole game, coming through when it matters, that has kind of been the theme for this year,” stated SFU head coach Stacy Fournier. “We had a tough preseason and had to win the tough games when it mattered. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day.”
 
“As soon as I touched home plate, just seeing all my teammates there and knowing how fun it is to celebrate with them, that’s what made a big difference,” said senior first basemen Affeldt on how she felt after hitting the grand slam that ultimately led her team to the upset win.
 
The GNAC Softball Championships will continue Friday at 10 a.m. (Pacific), where the Western Washington Vikings will take on the #4 Simon Fraser Leafs, followed by a 12:30 p.m. matchup in the loser bracket between the #1 Saint Martin’s Saints and the #3 Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks. The final game at 3 p.m. will feature the loser of the 10 a.m. game, and the winner of the 12:30 p.m. game.