ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University baseball team split the second day of its series with Western Oregon after the Wolves rode a 17‑hit outburst to claim game one, 13-3, before the Wildcats answered with a seven‑run sixth inning in game two to rally past the Wolves 8-5 and earn a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon at the CWU Baseball Field.
INSIDE THE MATCHUPS:
Game 1
Final: Central Washington (3), Western Oregon (13)
Records: CWU (15-20, 12-11 GNAC), WOU (16-21, 8-11 GNAC)
Game 2
Final: Central Washington (8), Western Oregon (5)
Records: CWU (16-20, 13-11 GNAC), WOU (16-22, 8-12 GNAC)
Location: CWU Baseball Field, Ellensburg, Wash.
GAME 1:
SCORING:
- Western Oregon opened the scoring in the second inning when Tyler Mohler singled up the middle to drive in Jason Olsen for a 1-0 lead. Central answered in the bottom half as Jonathan Rominger grounded out to second, allowing Andre Garza to score and knotting the game at 1-1.
- The Wolves took control in the third inning with six runs. Robby Shepherd drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Zane Garvey, Alex Harden followed with an RBI single, and Jason Olsen added a two-run single. Mohler capped the outburst with a two-run single to give Western Oregon a commanding 7-1 advantage.
- WOU added to the lead in the fourth as Shepherd singled up the middle to score Chris Arce, making it 8-1.
- A three-run fifth pushed the margin further. Zane Garvey doubled down the right-field line to score Collin Irwin, Arce added an RBI single, and Shepherd lifted a sacrifice fly to center to extend the lead to 11-1. Central Washington responded in the bottom of the inning with Ethan Buckley's sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to 11-2.
- The Wildcats added another run in the sixth on Max Bledy's RBI single to make it 11-3.
- Western Oregon closed the scoring in the ninth with two runs, one scoring on a Tyler Mohler single and fielding error and another on a Gavin Shary RBI groundout, sealing the 13-3 final.
HITTING:
- Max Bledy led Central Washington offensively, going 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI, accounting for the Wildcats' lone multi-hit, RBI performance.
- Andre Garza added two hits and scored once, while Kellen Berg also collected two hits in limited at-bats.
- Ethan Buckley and Jonathan Rominger each drove in a run, while Conrad Henkel, Logan Blank and Ethan Swenson chipped in singles as CWU.
- The Wildcats reached base 12 times by hits and walks.
- Tyler Mohler led Western Oregon at the plate, going 4 for 5 with two runs scored and three RBIs, while Robby Shepherd turned in a strong all-around game with two hits, three RBIs and a walk in just three at-bats.
- Chris Arce added three hits, two runs and an RBI, and Jason Olsen chipped in two hits, three runs scored and two RBIs.
- Zane Garvey finished with two hits, two runs and an RBI, Benny Nazario collected a pair of hits and scored once, and Gavin Shary drove in a run.
- The Wolves reached base 22 times by hits and walks.
PITCHING:
- Kyler Malnar pitched two innings allowing five runs, five hits, and striking out one of the 13 batters he faced.
- Lance Mittelman pitched two innings allowing four runs, six hits, and striking out two of the 12 batters he faced.
- Drake Anderson pitched 0.1 innings allowing two runs, two hits, while facing four batters.
- Zachary Reynolds pitched 4.2 innings allowing two runs, four hits, and striking out three of the 17 batters he faced.
- Shane Bailey pitched five innings, for the Wolves allowing two runs, six hits, and striking out three of the 22 batters he faced.
- Max Holden pitched 4 innings, for the Wolves allowing one run, four hits, and striking out two of the 17 batters he faced.
GAME 2:
SCORING:
- Western Oregon broke through in the fourth when Chris Arce and Robby Shepherd singled ahead of Tyler Mohler, who drilled a three‑run homer to right to give the Wolves a 3-0 lead.
- Central answered in the fifth as Kaiden Hernandez walked and moved to third on a Logan Blank single before Andre Garza lifted a sacrifice fly to center, trimming the deficit to 3-1.
- The Wolves stretched the margin to 5-1 in the sixth, using an RBI groundout from Shepherd and a pair of CWU errors that allowed Arce to come home and extend the lead to four.
- The Wildcats then flipped the game in the bottom half, erupting for seven runs. After Kellen Berg was hit by a pitch and Conrad Henkel doubled, Jake Lockwood lined a two‑run single to cut it to 5-3. Blank later tied it with a two‑run single, Hernandez scored on a wild pitch for a 6-5 lead, and Ethan Swenson capped the surge with a two‑run double to make it 8-5, as CWU retired the Wolves in the top of the seventh to take the victory and split the series at 2-2.
HITTING:
- Logan Blank set the pace for CWU's lineup, going 2-3 with two RBIs and a walk, including the game‑tying single in the sixth.
- Kaiden Hernandez reached base three times, scoring twice on a 1-2 day with two walks.
- Conrad Henkel added a 2-3 performance with a double and a run scored, while Jake Lockwood delivered a key two‑run single as part of CWU's seven‑run sixth inning.
- Ethan Swenson chipped in with an RBI double and finished 1-4 with two driven in.
- The Wildcats reached base 16 times by hits and walks.
- Chris Arce led Western Oregon at the plate, going 2-3 with two runs scored as the Wolves' most consistent hitter.
- Tyler Mohler supplied the big swing of the day, finishing 1-2 with a three‑run homer and a walk.
- Robby Shepherd added a 1-3 line with an RBI and a run scored, while Zane Garvey chipped in a hit and scored once.
- Gunnar Shiotani recorded the only other WOU hit, going 1-3.
- The Wolves reached base seven times by hits and walks.
PITCHING:
- Camdyn Martindale pitched all seven innings, allowing five runs, six hits, and striking out three of the 29 batters he faced.
- Wyatt Rosales pitched four innings, for the Wolves, allowing zero runs, two hits, and striking out five of the 18 batters he faced.
- Hunter Lutman pitched one inning for the Wolves, allowing three runs, two hits, and striking out one of the seven batters he faced.
- Josh Johnson faced four batters for the Wolves, allowing four runs and two hits.
- Ben Edwards pitched one inning for the Wolves, allowing one runs, one hit, and striking out one of the five batters he faced.
SERIES HISTORY:
- Central trails the all-time series 62-139.
- The Wildcats are 36-59 in Ellensburg against the Wolves.
- WOU holds a 127-53 conference record over CWU.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats take a week off before continuing the homestand on Tuesday, April 21 as NAIA No. 5 Lewis-Clark State comes to the 'Burg for a doubleheader. First pitches from the CWU Baseball Field are set for noon and 3:00 p.m.