Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ELLENSBURG (Mar. 24) -- Senior Kyle Long (Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway HS) turned in his second consecutive complete-game pitching performance, and the Central Washington University baseball team took advantage of three Western Oregon University errors in earning a 2-1 victory over the 22nd-ranked Wolves in game two of Saturday's doubleheader. WOU won the opener, 12-6.

The Wildcats are now 9-9 overall and 5-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, remaining in a tie for first place atop the conference standings with Western Oregon (16-7, 5-1 GNAC). CWU has now won seven of its last eight games -- all at home -- following a 2-8 start to the campaign.

Long, who earned GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors last week following a four-hit shutout of Saint Martin's University, tossed a five-hitter in Saturday's seven-inning game against Western Oregon to improve to 2-2 on the year. He allowed just one run -- a third-inning tally that WOU scored after singles by Griff Boyd and David Amberson -- and surrendered just three hits in the other six innings combined.

Central Washington managed just three hits in the nightcap, but took advantage of three defensive miscues by Western Oregon. The Wildcats got on the scoreboard first in the second inning, as junior Kyle Sani (Kennewick/Southridge HS) beat out an infield single to lead off the frame, went to second on a sacrifice and third on a wild pitch, and then came home on a fielder's choice and throwing error by WOU pitcher Jason Wilson.

After WOU tied the game in the third, CWU scored the eventual winning run in the fourth inning. Senior Derrick Webb (Ephrata) led off with a double down the left-field line, and then advanced to third when Wilson's errant pickoff attempt struck Webb in the leg and caromed into shallow right field. Webb then scored on a sacrifice fly by Sani to take a 2-1 lead. The Wildcats' only hit the rest of the way was a sixth-inning single by senior Brandon Wang (Mill Creek/Jackson HS).

Western Oregon had its two hits in the third and single safeties in each of the final three innings. The Wolves had the tying run at third base and the go-ahead run at first base with two out in the seventh, but Long induced pinch-hitter Kyle Blackwell into a groundout to end the game.

In the opening game, Western Oregon took a 12-0 lead through 7 1/2 innings before Central Washington closed the gap with four runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth.

WOU starting pitcher Grady Wood (6-0) cruised through the first seven innings on the mound, taking a one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts into the eighth inning. However, after throwing 88 pitches over the first seven frames, Wood threw 20 pitches to the first four batters of the eighth and was touched up for three hits and a catcher's interference call and was relieved. All four runners who reached safely against Wood in the eighth came around to score, upping the Wolves' right-hander's earned-run average on the season to 1.40.

Central Washington ace left-hander Brandon Rohde (Gig Harbor) was successful throwing around the strike zone, especially early in Saturday's opener, as the first five outs the Wildcats recorded were strikeouts. However, Western Oregon also collected four hits over that span, including a RBI single by Bo Folkinga in the first inning and a two-run home run by Amberson in the second for a 3-0 lead. The Wolves tacked on a single run in the third and three more in the fourth for a 7-0 lead against Rohde (3-2), who proceeded to hold WOU scoreless over the next two innings before leaving the contest.

Senior Deren Jones (Lewiston, Idaho) surrendered five runs over two innings of relief as Western Oregon added to its lead. The last of the runs scored on a three-run home run by Folkinga, who finished the game 4 for 5 with seven runs batted in.

After Central Washington's four-run eighth, they scored two more runs in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out, two-run home run by sophomore Ethan Sterkel (Ellensburg).

Western Oregon finished with an 11-6 edge in hits in game one, with its hit total coming from five hitters. Folkinga had his four-hit game, while Matt Nylen was 3 for 5, Boyd was 2 for 3, and one hit each from Amberson and Blackwell. Central Washington's six hits came from four players, as Sterkel and senior Glen Reser (Spokane/Mead HS) had two hits apiece. Both of Sterkel's hits were for extra bases, as he added an eighth-inning double. Juniors Brett Gray (Ephrata) and Jimmy Ryerson (Seattle/Roosevelt HS) had the other hits for the Wildcats.

The two teams will wrap up their four-game series with another doubleheader on Sunday beginning at noon.