LACEY, Wash (April. 26) – The Central Washington University baseball team took the final two games of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season Sunday versus Saint Martin's University winning game one by a score of 6-5 and game two 13-8.
 
The Sunday sweep gave the Wildcats three wins on the weekend, improving their record to 23-24 overall and 14-18 in the GNAC as the Saints fall to 16-30 overall and 8-20 in conference.
 
Having concluded regular season play, the Wildcats will now wait for the rest of the dominos to fall. Two of the three spots for the GNAC Tournament have been claimed by Western Oregon and Montana State Billings, who are deadlocked with identical conference records (18-10 GNAC). CWU will wait for Northwest Nazarene to conclude its GNAC play next weekend versus MSUB, as the Crusaders have to win just one game versus the Yellowjackets to secure the final playoff berth.
 
GAME ON CWU- 6 SMU -5
 
The Saints were the first to light up the scoreboard, as Carl Svanevik would hit a two-run homerun in the bottom of the first inning to give SMU a quick lead.
 
It wasn't until Kasey Bielec stepped to the plate in the top of the fourth inning that the Wildcats would record their first hit. In the bottom of the frame, SMU would tack on two more runs with a pair of RBI-singles to increase its lead to 4-0.
 
The Wildcats threated in the next frame as Jonathan Dailey and Ryan Atkinson would lead off the inning with back-to-back singles but would be stranded as the Wildcats failed to answer.
 
Benjamin Dunbar would finally get the Wildcats on the board with a sacrifice fly to plate Myles Wesener in the top of the sixth inning. The Wildcats would come back with two more runs in their next at bats as the combination of Dailey and Atkinson struck again with back-to-back singles. Pinch hitter Tanner Romo gave himself up with a sac bunt to move the runners up. Mitchell Darlington took full advantage as he hit a sac fly to plate Dailey and Darren Honeysett would drive in Wesener in the next at bat to cut the Saints' lead to 4-3.
 
Down one run heading into the final frame, Romo got things started with a single and would tie the ballgame when Honeysett doubled to the gap to chase Romo home. After an intentional walk to the GNAC-leading hitter (Bielec), Dunbar gave the Wildcats some much-needed insurance with a two-RBI triple to centerfield that gave the visitors a 6-5 lead.
 
Starting pitcher Cory Welch would earn his fourth win of the season thanks to the late game heroics of the Wildcat offense. The senior tossed 9 innings, allowing five earned runs while striking out four Saints.

GAME TWO CWU- 13 SMU- 8
 
The Wildcats used a barrage of hits to knock off the Saints in the second game. In the top of the second inning the Wildcats used two extra base hits to grab a 2-0 lead. Randy Fuller drilled a double and would cross the plate when Ryan Atkinson ejected his third homerun of the season.
 
The Saints would answer in the bottom of the frame with four runs of their own to retake the lead at 4-2, but the Wildcats would have the answer in the top of the fifth inning as Kasey Bielec, Fuller and Jonathan Dailey would contribute RBI base hits en route to a five run inning by the Wildcats.
 
Again, the Saints had a response in the bottom of the frame, as the home team would tack on three runs of their own to close the gap to 9-7 in favor of CWU.
 
But the Wildcats finally delivered the knock out punch in the top of the seventh as they would put up four runs. Garrett Terrell and Jeff Beckman led off the inning with back-to-back doubles and Bielec would secure another RBI base hit, his third of the game.
 
A lone Saints' run in the bottom of the seventh was not enough, giving the Wildcats a Sunday sweep.
 
Alhanon Miller earned his second win of the season tossing 4 1/3 innings in relief of starter Travis Cook. Miller surrendered six hits, allowing just three earned runs and struck out a trio of Saints.
 
Although regular season play has concluded for the Wildcats the team will wrap up the season with two games versus Lewis-Clark State College next weekend. The first game is set for Friday, May 1., followed by the second game on Saturday, May 2. First pitch for both games is slated for 1 p.m.