ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The Saint Martin's Softball team played in two elimination games on day two of the 2026 GNAC Softball Championships in Ellensburg on Friday, May 8, defeating Northwest Nazarene 9-7 before falling to Western Washington 12-4.
The Saints' overall record moved to 34-19 on the season, coming one game shy of playing in the final round. Saint Martin's will now away the NCAA selection show for the chance at an at-large bid to the NCAA West Regionals.
Game 1: Saint Martin's 9, Northwest Nazarene 7
- A high-scoring fifth inning made all the difference for the Saints in a high-scoring affair, as NNU struck first in the bottom of the first inning with two runs.
- The Saints answered with three runs in the top of the second, doing so off an RBI single by Taylor Orgeles and an error that scored two runs.
- The Nighthawks retook a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs off two errors.
- The Saints trimmed the deficit to 5-4 in the top of the fourth, as Taylor Orgeles hit a solo home run to right field.
- One inning later, Kaylee Walker singled to score Olivianna Trinidad and tie the score at 5-5.
- Northwest Nazarene scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Saints held the Nighthawks scoreless in the final two innings to carry out a 9-7 victory.
Top Performers
- Taylor Orgeles went 3-4 with six RBIs and three runs.
- Shelby Lawson went 3-4 with two runs.
- Kaylee Walker went 1-2 with two runs and one RBI.
- Bridget Johnson picked up her 13th win of the season, throwing 4.0 innings and striking out one batter.
- Amanda Peterson earned her eighth save of the season, pitching three no-hit innings and striking out two batters.
Game 2: Saint Martin's 4, Western Washington 12
- The Saints led through four innings, but the VIkings exploded for five runs in the fifth and six runs in the seventh to pull away.
- In the first at-bat of the game, Maleah Andrews hit a solo home run to right field.
- The Saints answered back in the bottom of the first, taking a 3-1 lead off a bases-loaded walk of Kaylee Walker and a two-RBI single by Taylor Orgeles.
- Saint Martin's extended the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth, as Elissa Dewees singled to score Kaylee Walker.
- Western Washington capitalized off two errors, two walks, and three singles to rally for five runs, putting the Saints behind 6-4.
- The score held through until the top of the seventh, when the Vikings added six runs to pull away with a 12-4 defeat of Saint Martin's, ending the Saints' GNAC Tournament run.
Top Performers
- Taylor Orgeles went 203 with two RBIs.
- Kayla Vaughan pitched 4.2 innings and allowed one earned run off one hit. She struck out two batters.
Up Next
Saint Martin's will await a potential at-large bid to the NCAA West Regionals, with the selection show set to take place at 7 a.m. PT on Monday, May 11. The selection show can be streamed on the NCAA's website.
