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

SEASIDE, Calif. (Feb. 11) -- Brothers Brett and KASEY BIELEC (Port Orchard/North Mason HS) both went 3 for 5 in game one of the Central Washington University baseball team's doubleheader with California State University, Monterey Bay, including RBI singles in a four-run ninth inning, helping the Wildcats secure an 8-7 win over the Otters for their first of the season. Central Washington lost game two 6-1.

Central is now 1-4 on the season, while CSUMB is now 5-3 overall.

BRETT BIELEC led off the opener with a double to right-center, and was driven in on a two-out RBI single by sophomore ETHAN STERKEL (Ellensburg) two batters later. The Otters scored a run in the bottom of the second inning, but Central took a 2-1 advantage in the third inning when junior JIMMY RYERSON (Seattle/Roosevelt HS) scored from third base on a passed ball, and extended its advantage to 3-1 in the fifth inning on another two-out single, this time by senior DERRICK WEBB (Ephrata) scoring senior BRADY KINCANNON (Federal Way/Decatur HS), who reached on a walk two batters earlier.

Central continued to add to its lead, scoring another run in the top of the seventh inning, as Kincannon led off with a single, and after advancing to second on a groundout by junior KYLE SANI (Kennewick/Southridge HS), he stole third base and scored on an RBI single by KASEY BIELEC. The Otters responded in the bottom half of the inning as the first five batters of the inning reached base, resulting in a three-run inning to tie the game at 4-4.

The Wildcats scored all four of their ninth-inning runs with two outs, as they rattled off five straight hits with KASEY BIELEC and BRETT BIELEC recording RBI singles and CHRIS HASHIMOTO (Kirkland/Lake Washington HS) driving home two runs on a double to right-center field, giving the Central an 8-4 advantage. CSUMB made things interesting in the bottom half, scoring three runs off Wildcat reliever ALEX BUSHMAN (Billings, Mont./Billings Central Catholic HS), but the right-hander forced a two-out pop fly to center field to strand the game-tying run at third base and secure the 8-7 victory.

Sophomore starting pitcher DAVIS ENGEL (Ellensburg) threw six innings for the Wildcats in his CWU debut, scattering 10 hits and giving up four runs, three of which came in the Otters' three-run seventh inning. Junior left-hander DREW DAVIDSON (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly HS) blanked the Otters in the seventh and eighth innings to earn his first victory of the season.

Sani and Webb both went 2 for 5 with a run scored in the opening game, with Webb driving in one run.

Junior KYLE CRUZEN (Richland/Hanford HS) started on the mound for Central in game two and held CSUMB hitless through two innings before walking the first two batters of the third inning and then surrendering back-to-back singles, digging the Wildcats an early 3-0 hole.

Ryerson got the Wildcats on the board in the fifth inning with their only run of the nightcap, belting a two-out solo home run to center field to cut the deficit to 3-1. CSUMB got that run back in the bottom of the fifth, when Jason Merjano doubled down the left-field line, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a passed ball to make it a 4-1 score.

The Otters pieced together three more hits in the bottom half of the sixth inning, scoring two more runs, and the Wildcats went down in order in the top of the seventh inning.

Webb and senior third baseman GLEN RESER (Spokane/Mead HS) were the lone Wildcats to record a multi-hit game in the nightcap, as each had two hits as part of Central's eight-hit total. Cruzen, a redshirt junior, surrendered three hits and four runs -- three earned -- over 4 2/3 innings of work, but took the loss.

CSUMB pitcher Donny Medlinger won his second game of the season (2-0) in game two, going five innings, giving up one run on seven hits and striking out seven Wildcats.    

Central had a minimal 21-20 edge in hits in the doubleheader, but the Wildcats left 21 runners on base to the Otters' 16. 

The teams will wrap up their four-game series with a single game on Sunday morning at 11 a.m.