MONMOUTH, Ore. - Kirk Lind pitched six innings of shutout ball in relief as the Western Oregon baseball team earned a 7-5 win over Chico State to avoid the sweep, Saturday, Feb. 7.

 

Lind relieved starter Mike Cusick in the bottom of the fourth inning and went the rest of the way giving up just six hits and two walks to earn his first collegiate victory.

 

"Kirk (Lind) did a phenomenal job in his first collegiate experience on the mound," said head coach Jeremiah Robbins. "He battled all day and was able to get through some tough counts and compete with every batter."

 

The win was the first of the year for the Western Oregon, No. 4 team in the NCAA West Region, as they moved to 1-3. It handed the No. 1 team in the region, Chico State (3-1), its first loss of the 2009 season.

 

Leadoff batter Travis Fox led the Wolves at the plate as he went 3-5 with two runs and one RBI. Jason Moseby had two RBIs and a run scored as he went 1-4.

 

Western Oregon was aided by Chico State errors throughout the game. WOU jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning as Moseby knocked in Travis Fox and Justin Thornton with a single after they had been balked to second and third. Moseby was then able to advance to second on the hit because of an error and the unearned run on a Justin Speer single.

 

The Wolves would add two more in the second but Chico State answered back with four in the second and another in the third to knot the game at 5-5. It would stay that was until the top of the sixth when Joe Pratt led off the inning with a single. He was then pinch ran for by Alex Yeaney and Eric Renander singled through the left side putting runners on first and second. Griffin Boyd then sacrificed them second and third. JJ Mascolo then knocked one to the Chico State shortstop but he committed an error allowing Yeaney and Renander to score and giving up the Wildcats third unearned run of the day. Lind would take care of the rest on the mound.

 

"The whole weekend we focused on putting the ball in play and giving ourselves opportunities," continued Robbins. "We just needed someone to pick us up on the mound and Lind did that for us this afternoon."

 

This was just the Wolves third win in 34 games at Nettleton Stadium in Chico, Calif., and they now trail in the all-time series 47-10.

 

The Western Oregon baseball team will continue its road trip as it California journey as it faces UC San Diego in a pair of doubleheaders Feb. 14-15 in San Diego.