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SEASIDE, Calif. (Feb. 8) -- Junior Joe Castro (Union City, Calif./James Logan HS) and senior Marc Garza (Othello) both reached base in four of their five plate appearances, and the Central Washington University baseball team built an 8-0 lead before holding off California State University Monterey Bay, 8-7, on Friday afternoon at the Otter Sports Complex.

The Wildcats earned their first win of the season (1-5) while also handing the Otters their first loss (4-1). Junior left-handed pitcher Skye Adams (Vancouver/Columbia River HS) started and went into the eighth inning to earn his first victory in a CWU uniform, while senior Tyler Roberts (Kennewick/Southridge HS) allowed just an unearned run in two innings of relief work to earn the save.

CWU manufactured its first-inning run after an infield single by Castro led off the game. He was sacrificed to second and went to third on a single by junior Ethan Sterkel (Ellensburg), which set the stage for senior Kyle Sani (Kennewick/Southridge HS) to drive him home with a sacrifice fly for the game's first run.

The Wildcats blew the game open with a seven-run third inning, as they pieced together five hits and three walks. Castro started the inning with a walk and stolen base, then scoring on a RBI single by junior Spencer Hannah (Ferndale).Six batters later, Garza walked with the bases loaded to bring home a run, and junior Joel Johnson (Olympia) then followed with a two-run double. Castro capped the inning with a two-run single that gave Adams and CWU a commanding 8-0 lead.

Cal State Monterey Bay scored twice each in the third and sixth innings to make it an 8-4 count, and then scored three times in the eighth inning to turn it into a nail-biter. Adams allowed consecutive hits to start the eighth -- the second of which was a RBI double by Brian Haggett -- which prompted a move to the bullpen for the right-hander Roberts. A double by Mark Hurley scored another run, and after a passed ball advanced Hurley to third, the Otters' left fielder scored on a groundout to make it a one-run game.

In the ninth inning, CWU sandwiched two-out singles around a walk to load the bases, but the Wildcats were unable to score an insurance run. In the bottom of the inning, CSUMB got a one-out single from Jason Brady, who then advanced to second on a groundout, but Roberts struck out Victor Rasor-Thompson to end the game and preserve the victory.

CWU posted its second straight double-digit hit game, outhitting the Otters by a 13-11 count. Castro had two hits and two walks, while Garza was 1 for 2 with three walks. Hannah, Sterkel, and junior Justen Weigel (Naches/Naches Valley HS) added two hits apiece, and all nine CWU starters had at least one hit.

CSUMB was led by a 3 for 3 outing from Haggett, while Rasor-Thompson and Hurley each had two hits.

CWU will wrap up its eight-game, seven-day road trip with a doubleheader on Saturday against CSUMB beginning at 11 a.m.