Box Score

HAYWARD, Calif. (Feb. 11) -- Central Washington University junior third baseman Glen Reser (Spokane/Mead HS) capped an eight-run second inning with a three-run home run, helping the Wildcat baseball team defeat Cal State East Bay, 9-3, on Friday afternoon at Pioneer Field.

The Wildcats earned their first victory of the 2011 season to improve to 1-2 at the midway point of their six-game road trip to northern California. CSU East Bay dropped its second straight game, falling to 1-3 on the season.

Reser was 3 for 5 with three RBI and two runs scored. The Wildcats also got production from junior Brandon Wang (Mill Creek/Henry M. Jackson HS), who was 2 for 3 with three RBI, and senior Nate Wallen (Bremerton/Central Kitsap HS) who had three singles and drove in a run.

Junior pitcher Kyle Cruzen (Richland/Hanford HS) made his CWU debut by throwing six strong innings to earn the victory (1-0). He surrendered just three runs on six hits, walking just one batter.

The Pioneers went ahead early, scoring once in the bottom of the first inning, aided by a leadoff double, but Central Washington countered with eight runs on five hits in the second inning.

Eight of the first nine batters of the inning reached base safely, with the first of eight runs coming on a RBI by junior Brett Bielec (Port Orchard/North Mason HS), who reached base on an error. Wallen then had a RBI single, followed by a RBI double by junior Jimmy Ryerson (Seattle/Roosevelt HS) and a two-run double by Wang. After a walk and a strikeout, Reser finished off the big inning with a three-run round-tripper to give the Wildcats a commanding 8-1 lead.

Central added an insurance run the following inning, as senior Kris Henderson (Liberty Lake/Central Valley HS), Bielec, and Wallen began the inning with three straight singles. After a strikeout, Wang added a fourth single in the inning, scoring Henderson to extend the margin to 9-1.

CSU East Bay scored once each in the third and fifth innings, after which time Cruzen and the Wildcat relievers held the Pioneer batters off the scoreboard. Relievers Deren Jones (Lewiston, Idaho) and Palmer Brown (Sacramento, Calif./Rio Americano HS) scattered just three hits over the final three innings, with one walk.

The Wildcats, who committed five errors in their first two games, were flawless defensively against Cal State East Bay. They also outhit the Pioneers 11-9 on Friday.

CSUEB got a solo homerun from Lincoln Clapper, who finished 2 for 4 with two RBI. Also adding two hits was Nick McManus, who also had a RBI in five at-bats. Pioneer starter Paul Jinkens fell to 0-2 on the season, giving up eight runs (four earned) on five hits with two strikeouts in two innings of work. Three CSU East Bay pitchers combined to strikeout 13 Wildcat batters, the most strikeouts by a CWU offense since in a single game since an 8-7 victory over Northwest Nazarene on Apr. 30, 2004.

Central Washington has three more games against Cal State East Bay, starting with a Saturday doubleheader at 11 a.m.