Baseball | 4/19/2009 4:04:11 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 [Game 1: Box score]  [Game 2: Box score]

MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Western Oregon baseball team swept a doubleheader from Saint Martin's Sunday (Apr. 19) winning game one 9-1 and game two 6-5 to maintain its five-and-a-half game lead in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

The Wolves are now 25-10 on the year and 17-2 in the GNAC after taking three of four in the series. Saint Martin's fell to 17-24 and 10-13 in conference.

Bill Clontz and Kyle Boe led the Western Oregon offense during the doubleheader as Clontz went 6-for-8 with two runs, four RBI and three stolen bases while Boe was 5-for-7 with four runs scored and four RBI.

Game 1
Blake Keitzman scattered five hits over seven innings while walking one and striking out 10 to lead the Western Oregon to a 9-1 victory over Saint Martin's in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday, Apr. 19.

Bill Clontz was 3-for-5 with three RBI and Kyle Boe also added a three-hit effort as Western Oregon outhit Saint Martin's 17 to eight and collected all five extra base hits in the game.

The Wolves struck first in the bottom of the third on a two-run double by Clontz and would extend their lead to 4-0 in the sixth on a Garrett Breda double and a JJ Mascolo single.

Western Oregon put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth as it put five runs and six hits on the board highlighted by a two-run homer by Eric Renander to go on top 9-1.

"We were better with our small ball and we got the key hits," Western Oregon head coach Jeremiah Robbins said. "It was good to see a lead get extended late."

After the third inning, Keitzman buckled down and retired 12 of the next 14 batters he faced to improve to 6-0 on the season.

"Saint Martin's is a team Keitzman has faced numerous times and he was able to go out their and battle in the strike zone for the win," Robbins explained.

Game 2
Kyle Boe went 2-for-2 with two runs and three RBI and Bill Clontz was 3-for-3 as Western Oregon took game two 6-5.

Boe and Clontz helped WOU build a 6-2 lead after three as the Wolves put up three runs in the first and third innings. After Eric Renander scored from second base on a wild pitch, Boe singled to center to score Drew Humphrey and Bill Clontz followed with a double to plate Boe as WOU went on top 3-0 after one inning.

In the third, Boe hit a two-run homer and Clontz scored on a single by Taylor Mieras as Western Oregon answered the two runs Saint Martin's put on the board in the top half of the inning on a home run by Shane Schoeneberg.

The Saints would score two more in the fourth and would threaten to tie the game in the top of the sixth. SMU cut WOU's lead to 6-5 and would load the bases after a walk to Schoeneberg, but Brad Carter came in out of the bullpen to strike out Ryan DiMascio looking to end the threat. Carter would stay in the game and pitch a perfect seventh inning, which included an outstanding leaping catch by first baseman Tyson Nelson to end the game, as he recorded his third save of the season.

"Carter came in and faced the heart of their order and it was impressive to see him compete like that," Robbins said. "That is what we have been preaching to our guys all year; when you get the opportunity you have to go out there and compete."

Starter Kirk Lind benefited from the early offense by the Wolves as he earned his fifth win of the season. Lind went 4.1 innings allowing three hits and four runs while walking four and striking out five.

""We got the key hits instead of a lot of hits," noted Robbins.

"We found a way to win while competing hard and doing things right," Robbins continued. "We have played (Saint Martin's) nine times and it gets tougher to win each time but our guys came with a focus on the goal and got it done."

Next Game
The Western Oregon baseball team will host Concordia in a non-conference game Tuesday, Apr. 21 at 2:00 p.m.