Box Score

LEWISTON, Idaho (Mar. 7) -- Senior Jake Hammons (Snohomish) and junior Kris Henderson (Liberty Lake/Central Valley HS) had two hits each, and the Central Washington University baseball team outhit Lewis-Clark State by a 9-8 count, but the Wildcats suffered their eighth straight loss, 3-1, to the Warriors on Sunday afternoon at Harris Field.

Central is now 2-10 overall and will begin Great Northwest Athletic Conference play next weekend at home against Northwest Nazarene. Lewis-Clark State, ranked sixth in the NAIA preseason poll, won its 13th straight game to improve to 14-1 on the year.

The Wildcats scored the game's first run in the top of the third after loading the bases with nobody out. Hammons bounced into a double play to bring home junior Keola Rubin (Spanaway/Bethel HS) from third for a 1-0 Central lead, but that edge was short-lived as Lewis-Clark State tied the game in the bottom of the inning with an unearned run.

The Warriors scored the eventual winning runs in the bottom of the fifth inning after a leadoff double by Trent Bridges and a two-run home run by Brian Burke.

Central got one hit each in four of the final five innings, and had the tying run on base with one out in the ninth, but consecutive outs prevented the Wildcats from keeping the game alive.

Henderson had a double among his two hits, while junior Chance Plutt (Dillon, Mont./Beaverhead County HS) had a two-out triple in the fifth inning to account for Central's only other extra-base hit in the game.

Junior Palmer Brown (Sacramento, Calif./Rio Americano HS) suffered the pitching loss for the Wildcats despite four innings of three-hit relief. He struck out four and did not walk a batter, but surrendered the game-winning home run to Burke.

Central Washington will open its four-game GNAC series with Northwest Nazarene on Friday (Mar. 12) at noon at the CWU Baseball Field. The Wildcats and Crusaders will then play another twinbill on Saturday (Mar. 13), also at noon.