ALAMEDA, Calif. (Feb. 10) – The Central Washington University baseball team split the final two games of its four-game series against the Academy of Art University.
 
The Wildcats are now 3-3 overall, while the Urban Knights move to 1-3.
 
Mackenzie Gaul got the start in the day two opener, tossing five innings and allowing two runs.  He struck out six hitters and allowed four hits.  Seth Pedersen (0-1) was charged with the loss.  In 1.2 innings, Pedersen allowed two hits, three walks, five runs, and he struck out a pair of hitters.
 
The Wildcats tallied 11 hits as a team, including three from Ty Deckwa.  Deckwa also scored twice.  James Smith III, Michael Heinevetter, and Mitch Lesmeister each recorded two hits.  Smith and Jaden Hassell each drove in a run.
 
The Urban Knights found the scoreboard first with a solo homerun in the second inning.  Hassell tied the game in the top of the fourth, driving in Deckwa on a single.
 
The Urban Knights responded in the bottom of the fourth with a run of their own, retaking a one-run advantage.
 
Smith double to left center field in the sixth, driving in Deckwa, and tying the game at 2-2.
 
In the bottom of the seventh inning the Urban Knights put up seven runs.  Zak May picked up a pair of RBIs on a single to center, but an error on the play allowed both May and Josh Carlin to score on the play as well.  A double from Jackson Murphy later in the inning plated three more runs for a 9-2 advantage.
 
JJ Asinas got the call in game two.  The sophomore right-hander went 4.1 innings, allowed four runs on six hits, walked a pair, and struck out three.  Keegan Kast (1-0) got the win in relief.  Kast went 3.1 innings, allowed one run on four hits, and struck out three hitters.  Deckwa once again finished with multiple hits, this time he also drove in a pair of runs.  He also scored three times.  Smith finished 3-for-6, with three runs scored, and two runs batted in.  Yi-Fan Pan notched two hits, scored a run, and drove one in.  Christopher Dalto recorded to hits, one run scored, and two runs batted in.  Heinevetter rounded out the multi-hit efforts for the Wildcats, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs scored.  Jesse Unger also recorded an RBI.
 
Unger's sac fly opened the scoring in the second inning, bringing in Smith from third.  A double by Marciano Reichel in the bottom frame levelled the score at 1-1.
 
The Urban Knights took a 2-1 lead later in the second, when Brennan Mauchline singled home Reichel.  They expanded their lead to 4-1 in the third on a two-run double. 
 
The Wildcats got two runs back in the fourth.  Yi-Fan singled home Smith, before a fielding error allowed later in the inning allowed Yi-Fan to score.
 
Smith brought the game back even in the fifth, 4-4, singling to right center and scoring Deckwa.  Dalto then doubled down the left field line, scoring both Hassell and Smith.
 
In the sixth inning, the Wildcats took an 8-4 lead.  Smith reached on a fielder's choice, which allowed Heinevetter to score, before a throwing error allowed Deckwa to score as well.
 
The Urban Knights chipped away at the Wildcats' lead in the sixth, scoring five runs, and taking a 10-8 lead.
 
In the seventh the Wildcats scored twice, aided by a fielding error, and tied the game at 10-10.
 
Dalto led off the top of the ninth inning with a single and was followed by a bunt single from Colton Bunt.  A fielding error allowed Heinvetter to reach and pack the bases full of Wildcats.
 
After a 1-2-3 twin killing, Deckwa laced a triple to left center.  The triple allowed both Heinevetter and Bunt to score, giving the Wildcats a 12-10 lead.  Michael Peter then doubled down the right field line, scoring Deckwa, and extending the Wildcats' lead to 13-10.
 
After back-to-back ground outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Knights picked up back-to-back singles. After a wild pitch put runners on second and third, Alex Fernandez walked to load the bases.
 
Robert Villanueva stepped in as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and two away.  He worked Kast to an eight pitch at-bat before flying out to right field, sealing the Wildcats' victory.
 
Central is back in action on Saturday (Feb. 17) and Sunday (Feb. 18) for a four-game series against Corban University.