ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Mar. 17) – The Central Washington University (12-8, 7-3 GNAC) baseball team dropped both games of its doubleheader against Western Oregon (8-9, 8-2), 13-4 and 9-1.
"We need to be better," CWU Head Coach
Desi Storey said afterward. "We didn't play to our abilities on the mound or at the plate today. Western Oregon is a good team, but at the end of the day it's on us. Pitching wise, we left the ball up and it allowed them to elevate the ball. At the plate, we struggled to get a rhythm going and at times tried to do too much. We need to do better."
Griffin Davis (3-3) got the start for the Wildcats. In five innings, Davis allowed eight hits, six runs, and struck out two hitters.
Dustin Braun led the Wildcats with three runs batted in, two hits, and one run scored. He drove in all three runs with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the first, blasting a three-run bomb off the scoreboard in left.
Mitch Lesmeister collected three hits and scored a run.
Jaden Hassell and
Justin Hampson each collected a pair of hits for the Wildcats.
The Wolves got on the scoreboard first, taking a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. Braun's homer in the bottom half of the inning gave the Wildcats a 3-1 lead.
Western Oregon put up three runs in the third, retaking the lead 4-3.
Justin Hampson singled in the fourth and a throwing error by the Wolves' first baseman allowed Hassell to score and tie the game at 4-4.
The Wolves put up the go-ahead run in the fifth and didn't look back. They brought around eight more runs, taking game one 13-4.
Connor Stevenson (3-2) got the call in game two. He allowed eight runs, on 10 hits, over six innings of work.
The Wolves again got their offense started in the first inning, grabbing a 4-0 lead. The Wildcats got their lone run in the bottom of the first, when Braun singled home
Ty Deckwa.
Western Oregon scored five more times over the course of the game for a 9-1 victory.
The Wildcats are back in action tomorrow (Mar. 18) at noon for another doubleheader against Western Oregon.
