ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Feb. 14) – The Central Washington University baseball team (5-3) split with Sonoma State (3-2) in Saturday's second doubleheader in the four game series. The Wildcats won the first game 3-2, but fell in the nightcap 5-1.
In game one of the Wildcat's second doubleheader versus SSU starting pitching was dominant for the first four innings. CWU
Mitch Yada (0-0) and SSU Mitch Coombs (0-1) held both teams combined for only three hits until the start of the 5
th inning.
The Seawolves struck first after starting the 5
th inning with back-to-back singles, which forced the Wildcats to bring in reliever
Cory Welch (1-0) for an extended appearance. Welch was able to perform damage control by only giving up one run off a single to third base from first basemen Alex Crosby.
The Wildcats responded in the next inning with Welch driving a leadoff double to right-center field and then was drove in by a fielder's choice groundball from
Kasey Bielec. Welch's shut down relief pitching allowed CWU to score a run in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings and that proved to be a difference.
CWU second basemen,
Ryan Atkinson, had the game-winning RBI in the eighth inning, and was 3-4 in the game. Welch, who usually comes in for save situations, picked up his first win of the season.
The nightcap for the doubleheader was tough on the Wildcats, as they dug themselves into a hole early by trailing to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. CWU freshmen starting pitcher
Jacob Forrester, started the game off a little shaky allowing three walks and a wild pitch that scored the second run for the Seawolves.
The Wildcats were able to chip that lead in half the next inning off of a sacrifice fly from
Zach Reay. Unfortunately, that would be the only run for CWU in the game. It was a one-run game all the way until the fifth inning when SSU pulled way with back-to-back solo home runs making the game 4-1. They would score one more insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to seal it.
Next weekend is a bye weekend for the Wildcats, as they will be getting ready for their first GNAC conference games versus Montana State-Billings Feb. 28 in Ellensburg.
