Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)

BILLINGS, Mont. (Mar. 27) -- The Central Washington University baseball team set a school record for hits and a modern-day record for runs in a game, using a 14-run second inning to jumpstart a 31-15 victory over Montana State University Billings in game one of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Dehler Park. The Wildcats then dropped the nightcap, 13-12, and finished with a 2-2 series split.

The Wildcats are now 6-18 overall and 4-8 in GNAC play, while Montana State Billings is 8-17 overall and 7-9 in the conference.

Central's first-game barrage was highlighted by that second inning, which included eight hits, four walks, two errors, and saw 17 Wildcats come to the plate. A three-run home run by senior catcher Jake Hammons (Snohomish) capped the high-scoring frame. CWU eventually led 28-4 after 4 1/2 innings, and took a 31-7 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning before Montana State Billings scored eight unearned runs.

Central set single-game GNAC records for runs (31), hits (31), at-bats (60), runs batted in (29), and total bases (50). They also posted the second-highest single-game run total in school history, and the highest since 1947. Their 31 hits were four more than the previous school record of 27, established during the 2004 season.

In addition to Central's team records, the combined 46 runs between the two teams were the second-most in conference history. The Wildcats were also involved in the highest combined scoring game in GNAC history, a 25-22 seven-inning win at Western Oregon on May 10, 2002.

Individually, 19 different Wildcat players had at least one plate appearance in the marathon game, and 18 had at least one hit. Senior shortstop Evan Churlin (Monroe) had a four-hit contest (4 for 7) with four RBI, four runs scored, and two doubles, while Hammons drove in six runs as part of an 11-RBI twinbill. Of Central's 31 hits, 12 were for extra bases including eight doubles and four home runs.

In game two, Hammons went 3 for 5 with five RBI, including a two-run double in the top of the seventh inning, as Central overcame a 12-8 deficit in the final frame to tie the game. Senior Danny Myers (Tumwater) later added a two-run pinch-hit single that knotted the score at 12-12, but MSU Billings won the game with a one-out RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

Despite the three-hit outing from Hammons, and six runs scored from the top three positions in the batting order, Central was outhit 16-9 in the seven-inning nightcap.

The Wildcats, who earned their first split of a conference series this season, finished the series with a .386 batting average and outscored the Yellowjackets 61-36 in the four-game set.

Central will return home for an eight-game home stand, beginning with a four-game conference series against Western Oregon next Saturday and Sunday (Apr. 3-4). The Wildcats will also host Cal State East Bay in a non-league series the following weekend (Apr. 9-11).