CLAIRE COX, assistant sports editor
The Wildcats competed against Western Oregon this past weekend, with their senior Tyler Roberts striking out seven and throwing a two-hit shutout on Friday afternoon. The Central Washington baseball team earned a 3-0 victory in game two of the doubleheader at Western Oregon University on Friday, with Central now sitting at 10-4 in conference play.
Game One on Friday started with Western Oregon building a 5-0 lead after six innings. Central fought back with a late rally, but fell short to 6-4. The Wildcat’s left-handed pitcher Skye Adams left the game after 10 first-inning pitches due to a injury. Junior Joe Arlt relieved Adams, throwing five innings and allowing 10 hits. Central went on to have four relievers that game.
The Wildcats gained their first points in the seventh inning against Western Oregon’s Spenser Watkins. Junior Eddie Malone and senior Justin Peterson started the inning with a walk and single. Western Oregon scored once in the bottom of the seventh, but the Wildcats scored twice in the eighth to make a two-run game. Central did not have any chances in the ninth inning against the Wolves’ closer Kody Stone, only getting two singles.
Peterson, sophomore Kasey Bielec, and freshman Kramer Ferrell all had two-hit games and finished with nine hits altogether.
Game Two on Friday brought better luck for the Wildcats, with a 3-0 finish to end the day. Roberts kept Western Oregon to singles in the third and fifth innings and then let a leadoff three-base error in the sixth, giving the Wolves a 3-0 loss. Roberts threw 95 pitches in his seventh-inning complete game, striking out seven and walking three.
Central scored some single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth inning, while Garza had a two-out RBI single in the third to break the scoreless tie. Senior designated hitter Kyle Sani hit his seventh home run of the season to start the fourth and to make it 2-0. The Wildcats managed six hits against three Western Oregon pitchers.
On Saturday, the Wildcats exhibited another good run with Sophomore Kasey Bielec going five for five with four runs earned. Senior Daniel Kathman contributed three doubles and five RBIs as Central fought to the end with a 13-10 win in game two. Western Oregon won the opener with a 1-0 game in 10 innings.
In Game One there was a two-out throwing error in the bottom of the 10th inning. This allowed Western Oregon to score the game’s only run. Junior starter Stuart Fewel and junior reliever Willie Davies helped to stop the Wolves at three hits while extending the Wildcats’ streak in 18 innings.
Central finished with seven hits in the 10-inning game, leaving two runners in the scoring position in the eighth. Freshman Kramer Farrell has a 2-for-4 performance in the opener while five others had one hit each for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats turned around and dominated in Game 2 against Western Oregon, scoring 11 runs in the final three innings. Bielec established some career-highs with the five hits and four runs scored, doubling twice, with three of his hits coming in the final three innings. Kathman was also a key offensive threat for the Wildcats with his three for five outing and five RBI. He doubled in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings as well.
Central fell behind 4-2 after the first two innings and Western Oregon made it into a 5-2 count after a run in the third. The Wildcats began to rally in the fifth inning, scoring four times on six hits to take a 6-5 lead. The game then reached 10-5 after a four-run top of the sixth, but the Wolves scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to make it a two-run margin into the last inning.
In the seventh inning, Bielec had a RBI double and sophomore Mike Davalos had a RBI bunt single. Junior Joel Johnson contributed a final run to make a bases-loaded walk. Western Oregon managed two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but was cut short by junior Stinson Ott in his first save of the season. Sophomore Davis Engel went for the win after four innings of relief.
Wildcat players Bielec and Kathman had season-bests with an 18-hit attack, with Johnson and Garza gaining three hits. Ferrell added a 2 for 4 outing with three runs scored.
Central Washington will return home for its next eight games, starting with a four-game series against Northwest Nazarene University on April 8-9.
