Stockton, Calif. - Opening up the home schedule against two postseason participants from a season ago, the Pacific Softball team fell 9-0 to No. 17/18 Washington and 8-2 to North Dakota State on Friday. Following the first day of the 2015 Libby Matson Tournament, the Tigers sit at 5-11 on the season while Washington checks in at 15-4 and NDSU moves to 9-3.

Game One
On opening day in Stockton, Washington blanked the Tigers, 9-0 in six innings. Washington starter Kasey Stanchek (4-2) allowed just three runs scattered over her six full innings of work, striking out five Pacific hitters.

The Huskies struck for runs in the first and fourth frames frame off Pacific starter senior Dani Bonnet (3-4) as Ali Aguilar keyed an early rally with a leadoff double in the first and Casey Stangel homered in the fourth to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

Pacific had their best scoring chance in the fourth inning, when senior Nicole Zapotoczny singled to center field and freshman Sydney Lahners reached on a  fielder's choice and advanced into scoring position on an error, bur the Tigers stranded pinch runner senior Kamalei Pitoy in scoring position.

In the fifth, Aguilar delivered an RBI double to put Washington ahead 3-0 before the Tigers summoned freshman Megan Walters to the circle. Walters recorded an out on a fielder's choice but an additional unearned run scored on a Walters throwing error.

The Huskies broke the game open in their half of the sixth inning, striking for five against Walters, capped by a bases-clearing double by Courtney Gano to put the scoreline at 9-0, giving Stanchek an opportunity to send Washington to an early victory.

Bonnet finished with two strikeouts and four walks. Stanchek set the Tigers down in order in the sixth for the complete game shutout.

Game Two

In the second game of the doubleheader, Pacific took on a North Dakota State team that took down Washington in the first game of tournament play. Pacific sent sophomore Cassidy Gustafson (1-1) to the circle opposing Jacquelyn Sertic (3-2) of the Bison.

Gustafson allowed a run in her first frame, as a throwing error led to an unearned run for a 1-0 lead to the visitors. Freshman catcher Rachel Sellers shined in the inning, retiring the side catching back-to-back NDSU runner trying to advance.

With the tone set Defensively for the Orange and Black, the offense kept the positive momentum following in the bottom half of the first. With one out, freshman Molly Bourne singled up the middle. The next hitter, Zapotoczny, unleashed a mammoth home run that cleared the Don and Thelma Stewart Family scoreboard in left field. The fourth homer of the season for Zapotoczny gave Gustafson and the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

The Bison added a run in the second as a walk and wild pitch set up a runners in scoring position situation for Joei Samper, who singled to tie the score at 2-2. Pacific had an opportunity to keep Sertic on the ropes in the bottom of the second, but a Gustafson single and Santos hit by pitch were stranded on the base paths. NDSU took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third, as a walk, and infield single and a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position. A fielder's choice off the bat of Amanda Grable plated the eventual winning run for North Dakota State. A two-run Logan Moreland home run off Gustafson in the fifth and a three-run Cheyenne Garcia blast in the seventh extended the final scoreline to 8-2 in favor of the defending Summit League Champions.

Pacific put runners on in the third, fourth and fifth frames but could not score. In the bottom of the fifth, following back-to-back base runners for Pacific, the Bison summoned Krista Menke, who started the first game of the day against Washington. Menke got two quick outs to end the fifth and then hurled two perfect frames in the sixth and seventh, striking out a total of five batters in her 2.2 innings of work.

Sellers was a bright spot defensively for the Tigers, throwing out a total of three would-be base stealers in the contest, for a total of four on the day. Gustafson finished with three strikeouts on the day against four walks.

For Pacific, Bourne went 2-4 with a run scored while Zapotoczny provided the power with her towering home run. Freshman Sydney Lahners and sophomores Gustafson, Toni Santos and Melina Huey all singled for the Tigers.

Pacific will return to action at the 2015 Libby Matson Tournament starting at 1:15 against North Dakota State once again. Following the contest, Pacific will battle Montana (1-9) as the newest member of the Big Sky conference makes its inaugural trip to Stockton.