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LEWISTON, Idaho (Feb. 16) -- Junior Ethan Sterkel (Ellensburg) went 4 for 5 with a run batted in, but the Central Washington University baseball team lost a four-run seventh-inning lead to Concordia University, falling to the Cavaliers, 7-6 in 11 innings at the Guardian Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Tournament on Saturday morning at Harris Field.

The Wildcats fell to 4-7 on the season with the loss, while Concordia, from Portland, Ore., improved to 3-5.

With its 2-1 tournament record in round-robin play, CWU will play in the tournament championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Wildcats will face either College of Idaho or host Lewis-Clark State.

The Wildcats fell behind early, trailing 2-0 after the first inning. However, junior pitcher Stuart Fewel (Portland, Ore./Wilson HS) settled down and kept the Cavaliers off the scoreboard until the seventh inning. Meanwhile, CWU found its offensive touch with two hits and a run in the second and three more runs on three hits in the third for a 4-2 lead. Senior Daniel Kathman (Roy/Eatonville HS) delivered the big hit in the third inning with a two-run single. CWU then added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, with an error allowing the Wildcats' fifth-inning tally to score and with Sterkel driving home a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Concordia rallied to tie the game in the seventh against Fewel and two relievers. A pair of singles, sandwiched around an infield error, allowed the Cavaliers to load the bases and chase Fewel from the game, and back-to-back RBI hits against junior Willie Davies (Shoreline/Shorecrest HS) made it a two-run game. Sterkel was then summoned from right field, and he gave up a two-run game-tying double to Cole Shidaki, but then got a fly out and double play ball to end the inning and preserve the tie.

Each team had at least one hit in the eighth, and Concordia loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th before senior Randy Button (Allyn/North Mason HS) struck out cleanup hitter Jared Young to extend the game. Sterkel had his fourth hit of the game in the top of the 11th, but was retired on Button's fielder's choice, and CWU was unable to get a baserunner past second base in its final inning. The Cavaliers then won the game after a leadoff walk and a one-out double by Christian Lichtenthaler in the bottom of the inning.

CWU was outhit, 15-12, by Concordia in the game but took advantage of five Cavalier errors for two unearned runs.

Sophomore Kasey Bielec (Port Orchard/North Mason HS) continued his hot hitting for the weekend, going 2 for 5 with three runs scored. Senior Marc Garza (Othello) also had two hits for the Wildcats.

Blake Drake and C.J. Watson both had three hits for Concordia, which snapped a five-game series losing streak against CWU with the victory.