ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University baseball team (19-21, 13-15 GNAC) celebrated 14 seniors, including Brady Hinkle, Gabe Bustamante, Daniel Charron, Jake Felton, Jonathan Garza II, Travis Helm, Noah Juarez, Ben Leid, Trenton Love, Devin MacWatters, Marcus Manzardo, Brandham Ponce, Baba Varner Jr., and Luke VonGoedert Saturday afternoon with its final home series in GNAC play. The Wildcats fell in a doubleheader to the GNAC-leading #16 Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks after dropping the first game 3-10 and then falling late in the second game 4-6 after being tied in the 7th inning. 

Quoting CWU Baseball Head Coach Desi Storey:
"Great group of seniors that are a big reason we are in the hunt for the conference tourney. Obviously a tough weekend but these will keep on working to get better and finish strong

INSIDE THE MATCHUPS: 

Game 1 

Final: Central Washington (3), Northwest Nazarene (10) 

Records: CWU (19-20, 13-14 GNAC), NNU (32-12, 21-5 GNAC) 

Game 2 

Final: Central Washington (4), Northwest Nazarene (6) 

Records: CWU (19-21, 13-15 GNAC), NNU (33-12, 22-5 GNAC) 

Location: CWU Baseball Field, Ellensburg, Wash. 

GAME 1: 

SCORING: 

• Northwest Nazarene started the scoring as Bryan Rojas hit a solo shot to right field to make it 1-0 in the first inning. 

• Central answered in the second inning as Andrew Sharp hit a sacrifice bunt to drive in Max Bledy. 

• Carter Walsh broke the tie for the Nighthawks in the fourth with a triple to right-center field to score Jason Bell and Gavin Brubaker. 

• Rojas hit his second homer of the game in the fifth to make it 4-1 NNU. 

• Bledy gave CWU some momentum with a double ripped down the left-field line that scored Ben Leid from first base to make it 2-4.  

• The Nighthawks responded in the seventh and eighth innings with a double from Adrian Arechiga to score Nin Burns II, then a shot to shallow center field by Burns II that was mishandled by Bledy led to Walsh and Bell scoring, followed by a single by Rojas that drove in Burns II to make it 8-2. 

• Leid answered for Central in the eighth inning with a solo home run to right center. 

• NNU finished off the scoring with Cole Calnon beating the throw on a double play that allowed Arechiga to score, and then Brubaker hit a sacrifice fly to score Calnon from third to finish the game 10-3. 

PITCHING: 

• Brandham Ponce pitched four innings, allowing three runs on four hits, facing 19 batters. 

• Drake Anderson pitched four innings, allowing six runs, and 10 hits, facing 21 batters. 

• Braden Zadow pitched one inning, allowing one run, one hit, and striking out one of the four batters he faced. 

HITTING: 

• Max Bledy, Ben Leid, and Andrew Sharp each recorded an RBI. 

• Leid and Baba Varner Jr. recorded two hits, while Bledy and Brady Hinkle recorded a hit. 

• The Wildcats reached base eight times by hits and walks. 

GAME 2:

SCORING: 

• Ponce opened the scoring for Central with a two-run homer to right field in the first inning. 

• NNU answered with a single from Drew Deal to score Gavin Brubaker to make it 2-1. 

• Nin Burns II tied it at 2-2 with a solo home run to right-center field. 

• Carter Walsh extended the Nighthawks' lead with a two-RBI single to make it 4-2 NNU in the fourth innin. 

• Justin Birch responded with a double down the left-field line to drive in Travis Helm from first base to make it a one-run game. 

• Ponce tied it back up at 4-4 in the fifth with his second dinger of the game. 

• In the seventh inning, the Nighthawks broke the tie with a sacrifice fly from Bryan Rojas to score Burns II, and then Adrian Arechiga followed with with a double down the left-field line to score Kaleb Karpstein to make it 6-4 and NNU would hang on to win the game in the bottom of the seventh. 

PITCHING: 

• Logan Pierce pitched six and one-third innings, allowing six runs on nine hits, and striking out six of the 30 batters he faced. 

• Dakota Todd pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing zero runs, one hit, and striking out one of the three batters he faced. 

HITTING: 

• Brandham Ponce led the Wildcats in hitting with two RBIs and two hits. Justin Birch earned an RBI as well. 

• Ponce and Logan Blank recorded two hits, while Justin Birch, Max Bledy, Travis Helm, and Ben Leid each recorded a hit. 

• The Wildcats reached base 12 times by hits and walks. 

SERIES HISTORY: 

• Central trails the all-time series 85-101. 

• These were the teams' 89th and 90th games played in Ellensburg, Wash. 

UP NEXT: 

The Crimson and Black play its final home series of the 2025 regular season next weekend, hosting the Whitworth Pirates in a four-game series starting on Saturday, April 26. First pitch from the CWU Baseball Field is set for noon.