Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 OAKLAND, Calif (Feb. 17) -- The Central Washington University baseball team was close to earning two victories Sunday afternoon in Oakland, Calif. but dropped both games of its doubleheader with San Francisco State University by scores of 4-3 and 3-2 (12 innings).

The losses drop the Wildcats back to .500 with a 4-4 record on the season, while the Gators improve to an even 5-5.

Game One

The Wildcats let a win slip through their fingers in game one as they held a 3-2 lead heading into the seventh inning.  The Gators led the seventh inning off with back to back doubles to tie the game, and scored one more run in the eighth inning where they pieced together a sacrifice bunt and a couple of hits to take the final 4-3 advantage.

Central Washington scored first in the opener on a bases loaded walk by Stephen McElroy (Petaluma, CA/Petaluma HS) that plated ZACH REAY (Blackfoot, ID/ Blackfoot HS) who was hit by a pitch in his at bat earlier in the inning.

The Wildcats added two more runs in the sixth inning as JAYKOB SELLS (Mountlake Terrace HS) stole second base after earning a leadoff walk, eventually scoring on a throwing error by the Gators.

KURTIS PITCHER (Klahowya HS) started on the mound for CWU in the opener and had a solid outing.  He threw seven innings giving up five hits and three runs – two earned – while striking out three batters.

JUSTEN WEIGEL (Naches Valley HS) and CAMERON HARPER (Las Vegas, NV/ Green Valley HS) both went 2-for-5 for the Wildcats who outhit the Gators 9-7.

Game Two

The nightcap took extra innings to provide a victor, where the Gators would score in the bottom half of the 12th innings on a leadoff single followed by a sacrifice bunt and a walk-off single to defeat the Wildcats 3-2.

Central Washington started off hot, scoring two runs in the first inning.  McElroy, CORY WELCH (Las Vegas, NV/Bishop Gorman HS), Weigel and Harper each recorded singles in the inning and KASEY BIELEC plated Welch on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Starting pitcher WILLIE DAVIES (Shorecrest HS) held the Gators bats at bay through the first five innings, but the home team rallied to tie the game in the sixth inning on a couple of hits and an untimely Wildcat error.

The pitching staff on both sides stole the show the rest of the game, as neither team was able to get a run across the board until the bottom of the twelfth inning.  The Wildcats escaped a Gator offensive attack in the bottom of the eighth where USFU had runners on first and second with no outs.  CORY WELCH knuckled down and got the next three straight batters out to end the threat and move into the ninth inning.

BRANDON WILLIAMS (Auburn Mountainview HS) suffered his first loss of the season (2-1) as he pitched the final inning in the contest just three days removed from throwing seven shutout innings against the Academy of Art.

Four different Wildcat batters recorded multiple hits in game two, led by McElroy who was 3-for-4 with a run scored.  Weigel was 2-for-6 while JOEL JOHNSON (Olympia HS) and JESSE WHITE (Salinas, CA/Salinas HS) both got two hits in three at bats.

The Central Washington University baseball team will next make its home and conference debut with a four games series with Western Oregon starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 1 at Noon.