ELLENSBURG, (Apr. 21)—The Central Washington University baseball team split the opening two games of a four-game set against Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Northwest Nazarene.
 
The Wildcats are now 24-16 overall and 18-12 in GNAC play.  The Crusaders are 20-20 and 18-12.  Both sides are locked in a battle for second in the GNAC table.
 
The Crusaders got on the board first, on a single by Casey Sheehan in the opening frame.  In the third inning, a solo homerun by Colton McCluskey gave NNU a 2-0 lead.  The Crusaders' penultimate run came in the fourth when Brett Nielsen scored on a passed ball, extending the deficit to 3-0.
 
Yi-Fan Pan singled with the bases loaded in the bottom half of the fourth on a well-placed bunt, scoring Jake Levin.  Yi-an Pan then drove in Conor Plaisance with a sacrifice fly, bringing the Wildcats back within one.  Dalto scored on a wild pitch, giving the Wildcats their first lead of the game.
 
Yi-an Pan laid down a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the sixth, scoring James Smith III, and extending the lead to 5-3.  Kyle Stahl doubled to left center field a batter later, scoring Yi-Fan from second, and giving the Wildcats a 4-3 lead.  Rory Graf-Brennen followed Stahl by lacing a triple to right field, bringing in Stahl and giving Central a 6-3 lead. A double by Dylan Freyre brought home Graf-Brennen for a 7-3 lead.
 
Andrew Helmstadter got one run back in the ninth on a sacrifice fly, but Dalto was able to seal the leak and notch a save in the 7-4 victory.
 
Levin (6-2) earned his sixth victory of the season.  He tossed seven innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits.  He also struck out six hitters.
 
Central Washington got on the board first in the back end of the doubleheader.  Plaisance singled to center, driving in Graf-Brennen.
 
The Crusaders scored three runs in the second inning.  A single by Brady Baker drove in Spencer Pollock and Kyle Redford, before an RBI-double from Tim Jones scored Baker.
 
Jaramy Jacobs (5-3) kept the Wildcats in check after the first frame, tossing six innings and earning the win.
 
Baker came on in relief of Jacobs in the seventh and nailed down his fourth save, but not before Stahl took him deep for his first homerun of the season.
 
Mackenzie Gaul (6-2) was charged with the loss.  He went 5.1 innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs, and striking out six.
 
The Wildcats are back in action tomorrow (Apr. 22) for another doubleheader against NNU.  First pitch is scheduled for noon.