COLUMBIA, Mo.-- Samantha Valentine and Nicole Green each hit home runs to bring in a combined four runs for Western Illinois, while Kamren Ferguson and Courtney Jacobson held Columbia College to only one hit, leading the Westerwinds to an 8-0 shutout in five innings. Western fell to No. 7 Northwestern, 9-0, in game two on the day.

Valentine started the scoring for the Westerwinds (6-12) with a two-run home run in the first inning. Later that inning, Lauren Furgala singled to score Erin Schlotfeldt and give Western Illinois an early 3-0 lead.

Britt Mason opened the second inning with a triple, Lindsey Hession reached on a fielder's choice and Valentine doubled to score both Mason and Hession. Bringing the lead to 7-0, Green hit a two-run home run. Mason singled to score Furgala in the third inning and add one final insurance run for Western Illinois.

Ferguson (3-2) held Columbia College (6-8) to only one hit and struck out six in four innings to record the win. Jacobson closed the final inning and struck out one in the three batters faced. Columbia's Katie McMahon suffered her fifth loss allowing seven hits, seven earned runs and two walks in two innings.

Valentine was 2-for-3 with four RBIs, Green was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and Furgala and Mason each went 2-for-2 with one RBI. In game one, Western Illinois totaled nine hits, eight RBIs and two walks.

Julie DePolo doubled in the second inning to ruin No. 7 Northwestern's pitcher Eileen Canney's no-hitter, as the Westerwinds fell to the Wildcats, 9-0 (6), in game two on the day.

The Wildcats (17-5) scored a combined seven runs in the first two innings and added two more in the sixth to end the game on a run-rule. Western Illinois' Kim King (1-4) suffered the loss.

Western Illinois returns to action, Saturday, Mar. 17, against Columbia College at 11 a.m. with a second game against host Missouri at 3:45 p.m.