KENNEWICK, Wash. (Mar. 4) – Mackenzie Gaul and a potent offense led the Central Washington University baseball team to victory in the backend of the Wildcats doubleheader against Saint Martin's University.
 
The Wildcats fell in game one 3-2, before opening up on offense for a 10-0 victory in game two.  Gaul hurled a two-hit complete game shutout. 
 
"We had a slow start to the day," CWU Assistant Coach Scott Stone said.  "At the plate we couldn't string anything together."
 
Jesse Unger opened the scoring in the second inning, roping a double down the left field line to score Dustin Braun for a 1-0 lead.  Steven Sordahl levelled the score in the top of the third inning, singling up the middle and driving home Shaan Kothari. 
 
The 1-1 deadlock held until the eighth inning, when the Saints struck again.  Jake Levin, the Wildcats starting pitcher, was lifted after seven innings of work.  Levin hurled seven innings of one-run baseball.  He allowed just two hits, while walking a pair, and striking out seven.
 
"Levin had a quality start on the mound, as we expected," Stone added.  We hurt ourselves defensively and ultimately it cost us the game. We just have to be ready to go from the first pitch."
 
Austin Feist hit a grounder to short in the top of the eighth with a pair of runners on.  The throw to first wasn't handled cleanly and the ball skipped away, allowing Alec Hagerman to score and give the Saints a 2-1 lead.
 
Undeterred by the deficit, James Smith III stepped to the plate as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the ninth.  The Wildcats' left fielder took a 1-1 pitch from Aaron Shoup over the fence in right field, tying the game at 2-2.
 
Smith's blast forced extra innings.  Amongst a flurry of pitching and defensive changes, the Saints were able to scratch across a run in the 11^th inning.  Makana Aiona pinch hit for Trevor Young with runners on second and third, and lifted a pitch to right field.  The sacrifice allowed allowed Feist to score, giving Saint Martin's a 3-2 lead. 
 
Central Washington forced the Saints into a precarious situation in the bottom half of the 11^th.  Conor Plaisance singled to start the inning and was forced out during the Ty Deckwa's at-bat on a sacrifice bunt attempt.  Ken Garland reached into his bullpen again and called on Zach Stevenson to relieve Luke Hare.
 
Smith rudely welcomed Stevenson by lacing a single into left field.  Garland once again dipped into his relief pitchers, but was forced to call upon Adam Eskil who was currently the Saints' first baseman.  Eskil opened his relief appearance with a four-pitch walk against Dustin Braun.  He then caught Brice McCulloch looking. 
 
With the bases loaded and two outs, the Wildcats sent Rory Graf-Brennen to the plate.  Graf-Brennen laced the 1-2 offering down towards the newly anointed Saints' first baseman, Benjamin Wadowski, who snared the ball and stepped on first to end the ball game.
 
Hare (1-1) earned the win, while Eskil (3) nabbed the save.  Tyler Hoefer (0-1) was charged with the loss in relief.  Hoefer went 2.1 innings, allowing one run, two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. 
 
Gaul was in the driver's seat in game two.  The southpaw hurled seven innings, allowing just a pair of hits.  He walked four, but struck out a career high 13 strikeouts. 
 
"Gaul on the hill gave us confidence and sparked our bats," Stone noted.  "We knew we only had to score a few runs to have a good shot."
 
The Wildcats kicked off the offense in the second inning, plating five, thanks to the assistance of a pair of errors.
 
"Offensively, we simplified and stuck to our approach," Stone acknowledged.  "We were able to string hits together."
 
With two runners on, Kyle Stahl reached on a fielding error that allowed Plaisance to score.  Graf-Brennen then reached on a throwing error, allowing Deckwa to score.  Fryre capped the five-run inning, blasting a three-run shot to right, and giving the Wildcats a 5-0 lead. 
 
Central tallied two runs in the fifth.  Freyre scored on a wild pitch.  Plaisance then doubled home Smith, making it 7-0 Wildcats.
 
In the sixth inning, Levin singled through the left side to score Graf-Brennen.  Braun then singled up the middle, scoring both Smith and Freyre for a 10-0 advantage.
 
"Freyre and Smith both had big days for us," Stone finished.  "Freyre's homerun early allowed us to relax and get back to our game."
 
Gaul (2-0) earned his second win of the season.
 
The Wildcats are back in action tomorrow (Mar. 5) against Saint Martin's.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 and 4 p.m.