ALAMEDA, Calif. (Feb. 9) – The Central Washington University baseball team's pitching staff was dominant in a pair of wins over the Academy of Art University. 
 
The Wildcats took game one, 5-1, before completing the sweep with a 4-0 shutout in game two.  The Wildcats are now 2-2 on the season, while the Urban Knights open at 0-2.

"We took a little bit to get our bats going, but we got some key hits in big moments," CWU Head Coach Desi Storey said.  Our pitching today was fantastic. It was great to see Griffin [Davis] bounce back and Connor [Stevenson] shut them down all game. We got Joe [Done] in for a couple innings to close it out, overall a really good day on the mound."
 
Griffin Davis got the start in game one, hurling seven innings of shutout baseball.  He allowed just one hit and struck out five hitters.  Joe Done closed it out for Central, tossing two innings in relief.
 
Justin Hampson and Dustin Braun each had a pair of hits and drove in a run.  Ty Deckwa and Christopher Dalto each had a hit and an RBI as well.
 
Dalto opened the scoring in the fourth inning, roping a double to left center.  James Smith III came around for second to score, giving Central a 1-0 lead.
 
Hampson expanded the lead in the seventh inning with a single to right, scoring Dalto and allowing Ball to score on an error.  Deckwa followed suit a few batters later, pulling a double down the left field line that allowed Hampson to trot home.
 
Braun drove in the Wildcats' final run in the eighth inning.  A double, once again down the left field line, scored Smith for the second time, and gave the Wildcats a 5-0 lead.
 
The Urban Knights got one back in the ninth, but were not able to manage anything more.
 
In game two, Connor Stevenson held the Urban Knights scoreless in his first start as a Wildcat.  Stevenson allowed just four hits over seven innings and he struck out three hitters.
 
Offensively, Braun finished with a solo homerun, two hits, and a run batted in.  Jaden Hassell, Colton Bunt, and Michael Peter each chipped in with an RBI.
 
All was quiet on the scoreboard until Braun smashed a solo shot to left, putting the Wildcats up 1-0.
 
Bunt drove the second run across, pinch hitting in the sixth inning.  He smoked a single to left, allowing Hassell to score.  A fielder's choice later in the inning brought Dalto around, putting the Wildcats ahead 3-0.
 
Hassell drove in Hampson in the seventh with a sacrifice fly, giving Stevenson more than enough offense to finish the outing, 4-0.
 
The Wildcats are back in action tomorrow (Feb. 10) in another doubleheader against the Academy of Art.  First pitch is scheduled for noon.