PORTLAND, Ore. (Apr. 8) – The Central Washington University (18-14, 13-9) baseball team split its doubleheader with Concordia University (Ore.) (11-21, 10-12) in day one of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference series.
 
The Wildcats took game one behind another stellar outing from Connor Stevenson (5-3).  The right hander earned his fifth win of the season in an eight-inning outing.  He allowed just three hits and struck out six.  Keegan Kast came on in the ninth and hurled a perfect inning.
 
James Smith III recorded four hits and scored twice.  Ty Deckwa notched three hits and drove in one.  Jaden Hassell and Christopher Dalto each recorded a pair of runs batted in, while Mitch Lesmeister and Robert Ball added an RBI as well.
 
The scoring started in the second inning when Ball laid down a bases loaded bunt and Smith snuck home.  Dalto then hit a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 advantage.
 
A single back up the middle from Lesmeister in the fifth inning brought Ball around from third and gave Central a 3-0 lead.
 
Ball came around to score a third time in the seventh.  Dalto doubled down the left field line, scoring Ball, and giving the Wildcats breathing room at 4-0.  Deckwa gave the Wildcats a grand slam proof lead at 5-0 with a single that scored Dalto.
 
Hassell brought around a pair in the eighth with a single, expanding the Wildcat lead to 7-0.
 
Griffin Davis (2-5) went 4.1 innings in game two, allowing three runs, seven hits, one walk, and five strikeouts.  Tyler Hoefer came on in relief and tallied three strikeouts in 1.2 innings.
 
The Wildcats fell behind 2-0 in the bottom of the first, but wasted no time getting the first run back.  Hassell singled home Justin Hampson in the top of the second, cutting the Cavaliers' lead to 2-1.
 
An RBI double from Mitch Bevacqua made it 3-1 in the third.  Lesmeister was able to bring a run across the plate in the fifth, but the Wildcats did not find the tying run.  Concordia held on for the 3-2 victory.