ELLENSBURG, Wash (March. 4) – The Central Washington University baseball team split a mid-week doubleheader with Whitworth University winning game one by a score of 14-7, and dropping game two 5-1.
The Wildcats will set their sights on Western Oregon University this coming weekend as they carry their 8-6 record into Monmouth, Ore., and hope to improve their 2-2 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Whitworth takes its record to 8-5 with the split Wednesday afternoon.
Game One - CWU 14 WU 7 The Pirates got the first run on the board in the top half of the first inning without getting a hit. The first two batters reached on back-to-back walks from freshman
Jacob Forrester and WU would score on the first of three game one errors by the Wildcats.
The Wildcats wasted no time answering the call in the bottom half of the frame. Leadoff batter
Cory Welch reached on a Pirate error and after a
Darren Honeysett walk that left runners at first and second,
Kasey Bielec launched his second homerun of the season to put the Wildcats back on top. CWU would scratch another run across the plate thanks to
Benjamin Dunbar who singled after the Bielec homerun, stole second base and crossed the plate on a passed ball to give the Wildcats a 4-1 lead.
"I thought in game one we didn't play great defense and made some mental mistakes, but we battled through it," Head coach
Desi Storey said. "Our offensive approach was great."
Central Washington used a parade of pitchers on the day.
Jonathan Dailey relieved
Mitch Yada in the fourth to work two scoreless innings striking out two batters and only allowed one hit.
In the bottom of the fourth the Wildcats added two more runs to inflate their lead to 8-3, as Bielec knocked in his fourth RBI of the day.
A four-run top of the sixth cut the Wildcat lead to one, where it stayed until the Wildcats erupted for six runs in the bottom half of the eighth to put the game away.
Ryan Archibald hit his first homerun of the year to get the inning going, as he would be the first of seven straight Wildcats to reach base.
Randy Fuller would cap the big inning with a two-RBI triple, which was the fourth extra base hit in frame and helped the home team bat around.
Zach Johnson worked a flawless eighth inning striking out each of the three batters he faced.
Game Two – CWU 1 WU 5 The second game would see another host of Wildcat pitchers. Lefty
Dustin Hamilton pitched two perfect innings striking out three batters.
The Pirates nabbed two runs in the top of the third, but
Mitchell Darlington's first homerun of the year in the bottom of the third would cut the lead back one. His blast would be one of only two hits produced from the Wildcat lineup in game two. Pinch-hitter
Benjamin Dunbar recorded the second hit of the day in the bottom of the seventh with two outs to keep the Wildcat rally alive. After Dunbar's single,
Ryan Atkinson and Archibald would draw walks to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate. The rally ended when Darlington grounded out to the second basemen to seal the game.
"I thought the 14 runs in game one would springboard us into game two, but I felt like in game two we didn't do anything mentally to adjust at the plate," Storey said. "We just didn't adjust to how we are capable of."
The Wildcats will travel to Western Oregon University for a four-game set versus the reigning regular-season GNAC-champions.
"We capable," Storey said of the matchup versus WOU. "Obviously we will have our best guys going on the mound, and if we throw strikes and play defense, we will have a great chance. Offensively we have to be consistent, and if we carry the approach we had in game one, we will put ourselves in a great position to win some ball games. The challenge will be to get on the road and dial it up."
Follow all the action and live stats at
Wildcatsports.com Notable Players Kasey Bielec: 3-4 1 HR 4 RBI 2 Runs
Ryan Archibald: 3-6 1 HR 1 RBI 3 Runs
Brandon Williams: 1 inning 2 strikeouts
Zach Johnson: 1 inning 3 strikeouts
