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HTML Box Scores: vs. College of Idaho / vs. Lewis-Clark State

LEWISTON, Idaho (Feb. 15) -- Central Washington University junior Ethan Sterkel (Ellensburg) capped a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning against the College of Idaho, and junior left-handed pitcher Skye Adams (Vancouver/Columbia River HS) threw a complete-game two-hitter against Lewis-Clark State College as the Wildcats won a pair of games on day one of the Guardian Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Tournament at Harris Field on Friday. CWU defeated C of I, 8-7, and tournament host LCSC, 2-1.

The Wildcats improved to 4-6 with the two wins, having won four of their last five contests. They also snapped series losing streaks against their two Friday, ending a five-game series skid against College of Idaho (2-4) and a ten-game streak against Lewis-Clark State (4-1).

CWU 8, College of Idaho 7
Sterkel's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth helped CWU complete its comeback after a 7-3 deficit entering the bottom of the eighth. The Wildcats scored a pair of unearned runs in the eighth on a two-out, two-run single by senior Justin Peterson (Tacoma/Life Christian Academy) to close to within two runs. Then, in the ninth, sophomore Kasey Bielec (Port Orchard/North Mason HS) led off with a double and scored on a RBI single by junior Eddie Malone (Queen Creek, Ariz.). Malone's pinch-runner, senior Jimmy Ryerson (Seattle/Roosevelt HS), scored on a run-scoring single by junior Joe Castro (Union City, Calif./James Logan HS), and Castro then scored the winning run two batters later on Sterkel's hit.

The Wildcats' only other lead in the game was after the first inning, when senior Kyle Sani (Kennewick/Southridge HS) drove home Castro with a two-out double to make it a 1-0 CWU advantage. Senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Roberts (Kennewick/Southridge HS) allowed 11 hits and three earned runs (four total) over 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking just one. Two relievers entered before junior Dean Neilson (Spokane/Lewis and Clark HS), who pitched a scoreless ninth and was credited with the victory (1-0).

CWU was outhit by a 17-13 count, with six of the Wildcats' hits coming in the final two innings. Each of the top five hitters in the lineup finished with two hits, with Peterson and Malone driving in two runs apiece. Bielec also had two hits as part of a 4 for 5 day at the plate. CWU also overcame five errors to earn the win.

Seth Champlin, Jesse Dodd, and Nick Muncy all had three hits for College of Idaho.

CWU 2, Lewis-Clark State 1
Adams held perennial NAIA power Lewis-Clark State to just two hits -- the fewest in a single game by a Warrior team in a home game since 2001 -- and senior Marc Garza (Othello) drove in the winning run in the top of the seventh inning as the Wildcats stunned the eighth-ranked Warriors, 2-1.

Adams, who improved to 2-0 on the season, needed just 99 pitches to go the distance on the mound for CWU, turning in the team's second nine-inning complete game of the season (Stuart Fewel had the other last Saturday at Cal State Monterey Bay). The only hits the southpaw allowed were a first-inning RBI single to Brady Steiger and a fifth-inning single to Kevin Knapp. Adams struck out six and walked just two, while the CWU defense played error-free baseball behind him.

Meanwhile, the CWU offense rattled the bats for eight hits against two Lewis-Clark State pitchers. Peterson drove in the Wildcats' first run with a two-out single in the fourth, and Garza then delivered the game-winner on the first pitch he saw with two out in the seventh.

Bielec and junior catcher Sam Williams (Seattle/Bishop Blanchet HS) had two hits each for CWU.

The Wildcats will play just one game on Saturday,  facing Concordia University (Ore.) in a 10 a.m. contest.