ELLENSBURG, Wash (March. 22) – The Central Washington University baseball team fell to Saint Martin's University in both games on Sunday, losing game one 2-1 and game two 5-3 behind stellar pitching performances from both teams.

The Wildcats fall to 12-14 overall and 6-10 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference as the Saints move to 12-14 overall and 6-6 in league play.

Game One – CWU 1 SMU 2

Starting pitcher Mitch Yada threw arguably his best game of the season. The left-handed sophomore only needed six pitches to retire the first two batters of the game, striking out the leadoff hitter looking and the two-hole hitter swinging. Yada's first blemish occurred during the next at-bat when Carl Svanevik homered to left field, Svanevik continued his power surge as he hit two homeruns on Saturday.

The Wildcats spent the first eight innings trying to get on the scoreboard. Their first hit finally came in the third inning when Darren Honeysett doubled over the leftfielder's head, and after a Kasey Bielec walk, the Wildcat attack stalled on a Benjamin Dunbar groundout.

Yada held the Saints quiet for seven straight innings after the first inning before giving up another run in the top of the ninth inning. Yada tossed a complete game, working nine strong innings while only allowing six hits and striking out five batters.

With the score 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth, the Wildcats mounted their comeback. After Ryan Atkinson flew out to centerfield, Jonathan Dailey worked himself into scoring position with an opposite-field double and would come around to score on an error by the Saints' third basemen. The Wildcats would get two more shots with the winning run at the plate but couldn't capitalize as both Mitchell Darlington and Myles Wesener flew out to end the game.

Game Two – CWU 3 SMU 5

The Saints were the first to strike in game two. An RBI-groundout pushed across the first run of the game.

Cory Welch got his third start of the season on the hill and would go the distance tossing seven innings, allowing eight hits while striking out six.
The Wildcats would cut the lead down to one in the bottom of the third when Kasey Bielec hit his team-leading third triple to drive in Welch and Wesener who both singled earlier in the inning.

In the home half of the fourth the Wildcats would finally pull even with the visitors. Honeysett notched his first hit of game two, as his infield single would plate the tying run, and leave the game tied at 4-4.

Saint Martin's would reclaim the lead in the top of the fifth when Chandler Tracy ejected a ball to left field for his ninth homerun of the season to give the Saints a one-run lead, and defensive replacement Shayne Kurihara singled in an insurance run four batters later.

The Wildcats began to mount another comeback in the final frame. With one out, and the bases full of Wildcats, the home team failed to bring in the tying run.

Central Washington will hit the road for a mid-season California swing, that will feature two games versus Oregon Institute of Technology on Friday, March 27., before the team arrives at Holy Names University for a four-game set.