ELLENSBURG, Wash (March. 13) – The Central Washington University baseball team defeated Northwest Nazarene University in the first game of a four-game series Friday afternoon, winning game one by a score of 8-7, and witnessed game two come to a halt due to darkness while leading 8-5.

The lone win moves the Wildcats to 10-9 overall and 4-5 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference while the Crusaders fall to 13-9 and 3-2 in conference.

Game two is set to resume at 11 a.m., Saturday, March. 14.

Game One – CWU 8 NNU 7
The Crusaders were the first to cross the plate in the top half of the inning on a solo homerun that carried out to leftfield and gave the visitors a one run lead. The Wildcats were quick to answer in the home half of the first when Cory Welch led off the inning with a line drive single to right field and would cross the plate when Darren Honeysett scorched a double over the centerfielder's head.

The Wildcats added two more runs in the bottom half of the third. The combination of Welch and Honeysett stuck again when the tandem stroked back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning. The second run of the inning occurred when Jonathan Dailey bunted and reached when the NNU pitcher fumbled the throw to first base that allowed Honeysett to score and gave the Wildcats a 3-1 advantage.

Central Washington took a commanding lead with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to increase its lead to 6-1. Dailey led off the frame with his first homerun of the year. He jumped on a 0-1 fastball that sailed over the leftfield fence. Welch concluded the three-run burst with a two-RBI single that chased home Ryan Atkinson and Benjamin Dubar who both singled earlier in the inning.

Starter Zach Johnson tossed 6 2/3 innings, sprinkling eight hits and allowing five runs, four of which were earned while striking out three Crusaders.
The Crusaders wouldn't go down without a fight in game one as they came charging back in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings with two-runs apiece to overtake the lead at 7-6.

Trailing by one run in the bottom half of the eighth, the Wildcats began to mount their comeback. Welch singled after Austin Pernell grounded out, and found himself on third after going first-to-third on a Honeysett single. Dailey delivered the final blow with a two-out two-run double that bounced around in the leftfield corner as Welch and Honeysett crossed the plate for the go-ahead runs.

Welch came on in the ninth inning to record his fourth save of the season allowing one hit and striking out two Crusaders.

Game Two – CWU 8 NNU 5

The Crusaders exploded for four quick runs in the first inning. The first three pitches for starting pitcher Brandom Williams unfoled as a triple, hit-by-pitch, and another triple to give NNU a quick two-run lead. The visitors would tack on two more runs later in the inning on a throwing error by first basemen Kasey Bielec.

Williams settled in after the rocky start to work 5 2/3 innings, while striking out seven Crusaders and allowing five runs, three of which were earned.

The Wildcats began to chip away at the deficit. The home team dropped a three-run inning in the third thanks to RBI hits by Myles Wesner and Bielec, and a fielding error in right field.

A lone Wildcat run in the fourth cut the Crusader lead to 5-4 when Randy Fuller shot a ball down the right field line that sent white chalk flying in the air and allowed Ryan Atkinson to score.

The Wildcats finally took the lead in the bottom of the fifth with four runs, highlighted by Bielec's second homerun of the year, a majestic two-run shot that hit the scoreboard.

The big inning was capped by Atkinson who scored two more Wildcats with a double to leftfield.

Game two would come to a halt in the top of the sixth inning due to darkness. The game will resume, tomorrow, Saturday, March. 14., at 11 a.m. and be followed by games three and four.

Follow all the action with livestats at Wildcatsports.com