MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Central Washington University baseball team (19-17, 13-11 GNAC) exits this weekend the same as it entered at three games above .500 in conference play after splitting Sunday's doubleheader against Western Oregon (11-22, 8-16 GNAC), winning the first game 11-2, then losing in the second game 0-6.
 
Quoting CWU Baseball's Head Coach Desi Storey:
"Guys worked hard and competed well all weekend and we got a couple of important wins."
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUPS:
Game 1
Final: Central Washington (11), Western Oregon (2)
Records: CWU 19-16 (13-10 GNAC), WOU 10-22 (7-16 GNAC)
 
Game 2
Final: Central Washington (0), Western Oregon (6)
Records: CWU 19-17 (13-11 GNAC), WOU 11-22 (8-16 GNAC)
Location: WOU Baseball Field, Monmouth, Ore.
 
GAME 1:
SCORING:

• Western Oregon opened the scoring as Calvin Tenorio hit a sacrifice fly to drive in John Oleson in the second inning.
• Central answered in the fourth as Andrew Sharp singled to left-center field to drive in Ben Leid and tie the game at 1-1.
• The Wildcats' offense found their stride in the fifth inning, scoring four runs off a Brandham Ponce double that scored Logan Blank, a Leid single to score Ponce from second base, a balk by Logan Larrance that scored Leid from third, and a Brady Hinkle single to bring Jake Felton in to make the score 5-1.
• Trey Nelson got a solo home run for WOU to make it 5-2 in the seventh inning.
• The 'Cats responded in the eighth as Ponce got an RBI single that scored Justin Birch.
• The Crimson and Black blew the scoring out in the ninth, scoring five more runs off a Noah Juarez single that scored Felton, a wild pitch that advanced the runners and allowed Juarez to score from third base, and Ponce encored with a bases-clearing double that scored Blank, Birch, and Sharp as Ponce finishes the game with five RBIs.

 
PITCHING:

• Brandham Ponce pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits, and striking out four of the 27 batters he faced.
• Garet Hagy pitched two innings, allowing zero runs, two hits, and striking out one of the eight batters he faced.

 
HITTING:

• Ponce led the Wildcats in RBIs with five. Brady Hinkle, Noah Juarez, Ben Leid, and Andrew Sharp each earned an RBI.
• Ponce recorded four hits, Hinkle got three hits, Leid and Sharp recorded two hits, while Birch, Blank, and Juarez each recorded a hit.
• The Wildcats reached base 20 times by hits and walks.

 
GAME 2:
SCORING:

• The Wolves struck early in the second inning with Tyler Mohler hitting a single through the right side to drive Collin Irwin in for the first run of the game.
• WOU got a pair of runs in the third off a John Oleson single to left-center field to score Andre Jackson II, and Irwin followed with another single up the middle to drive Owen Bischoff in to make it 3-0.
• The sixth inning saw Western Oregon double its lead to 6-0 off a wild pitch that scored Ruben Cedillo, a Zane Garvey single that drove Calvin Tenorio in, and a Bischoff single that brought Darin Chapman in.

 
PITCHING:

• Logan Pierce pitched five and one-third innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, while striking out two batters and walking one.
• Joe Rajo pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run on two hits, while striking out one batter and walking one.

 
HITTING:

• Logan Blank, Max Bledy, and Baba Varner Jr. each recorded a hit.
• The Wildcats reached base five times by hits and walks.

 
SERIES HISTORY:

• Central trails the all-time series 58-135.
• These were the teams' 89th and 90th games played in Monmouth, Ore.
   

UP NEXT:
The Wildcats return home for a four-game series against the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks starting on April 18. First pitch from the CWU Baseball Field is scheduled for noon PDT.