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ELLENSBURG (Mar. 23) -- Senior Kyle Sani (Kennewick/Southridge HS) went 2 for 4 in both games of Saturday's doubleheader, but the Central Washington University baseball team saw a late-game lead slip away in each contest in falling to visiting Montana State University Billings, 5-2 and 5-3.

The Wildcats, who came into play Saturday having won eight consecutive games and in sole possession of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings, fell to 13-11 overall and 7-3 in conference play. MSU Billings improved to 12-17-1 overall and 8-6 in the GNAC.

GAME ONE: MSU Billings 5, CWU 2
CWU took a 2-1 lead into the top of the eighth inning, but two runs each in the eighth and ninth innings enabled MSU Billings to steal a 5-2 win and hand Wildcat left-hander Skye Adams (Vancouver/Columbia River HS) his first loss of the season.

After an early 1-0 deficit, CWU scored single runs in the third and sixth innings to take their lead. Freshman Kramer Ferrell (Ellensburg) homered for the second straight game to give the Wildcats their first run in the third, while the go-ahead run scored in the sixth on an odd 9-4-6 fielder's choice when a misplayed fly ball -- which would have otherwise been a sacrifice fly for sophomore Kasey Bielec (Port Orchard/North Mason HS) -- resulted in a force out at second base. Senior Marc Garza (Othello) scored on the play to give Adams and CWU the one-run lead.

Adams had allowed just four hits through seven innings of work, with three of those coming consecutively in the second and the fourth coming in the third. However, after back-to-back strikeouts to start the eighth, he gave up a single to Brady Miller and then a two-run home run to Drew Fosnes, a former CWU redshirt (2010) who is in his first season at MSUB.

The Yellowjackets added two more runs in the ninth, with Austin Rue driving in both on a two-out single against sophomore relief pitcher Davis Engel (Ellensburg).

CWU was outhit by a 9-7 count in the opener. Adams gave up seven of those hits in 8 1/3 innings of work, striking out a season-high nine while throwing 112 pitches. Fellow left-hander Brady Muller went the distance on the mound for MSU Billings, improving to 3-2 on the season after a six-strikeout, 117-pitch performance.

Sani and junior Ethan Sterkel (Ellensburg) each had a double among their two hits for the Wildcats. Rue and Colter Sternhagen had two hits apiece for MSUB, including Sternhagen's first home run of the season in the top of the second inning.

GAME TWO: MSU Billings 5, CWU 3
The Wildcats finished with an 11-10 advantage in hits, but saw an early 2-0 lead dissolve after MSU Billings scored once in the fourth and three times in the fifth, and CWU was unable to tie the game in a two-run loss.

Senior catcher Daniel Kathman (Roy/Eatonville HS) opened the scoring with a RBI single in the second inning, and Ferrell extended the lead to 2-0 with a RBI double to score Kathman.

CWU senior pitcher Tyler Roberts (Kennewick/Southridge HS) allowed an unearned run in the fourth, and then surrendered three runs in the fifth -- the last two of which came home on a home run by Colby Robison -- as the Wildcats' early lead turned into a 4-2 deficit. They cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth as junior Joe Castro (Union City, Calif./James Logan HS) delivered a RBI single with two out.

MSUB scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning as Fosnes had a two-out single.

Eight of the Wildcats' starting hitters had at least one hit in the game, with two each from Garza, Sani, and Kathman. Three of the team's 11 hits were doubles.

Robison was a perfect 4 for 4 with two RBI for the Yellowjackets, while Rue was 2 for 3 from the leadoff spot. Relief pitcher Tanner Watson pitched three innings to earn the win (1-3), while Travis Vincent threw 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the save.

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