Baseball | 4/3/2009 6:54:33 PM
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 [Game 1: Box score] [Game 2: Box score]
MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Western Oregon University baseball team put 32 runs on the board over two games and its starters allowed only one unearned run over 12 innings to sweep a doubleheader from Montana State Billings, 16-9 and 16-0, Friday, Apr. 3.
The wins extended the Wolves lead in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference to three games as they moved to 9-1 in league and 16-7 on the season. The losses dropped the Yellowjackets to 14-16 this season and 8-6 in the GNAC, as they fell into a tie for second place with Saint Martin's.
Game 1
The Wolves' offense put up five runs in the bottom of the second and that would be all starter Blake Keitzman (3-0) would need as he went six innings allowing five hits and an unearned run while striking out nine as Western Oregon won game won 16-9.
Jason Moseby was 2-for-4 with four RBI and Garrett Breda had a three-run bases clearing double in third inning to lead a Western Oregon squad which saw every member of its starting lineup score a run. In the game, WOU was able to take advantage of opportunities in the game as it scored its 16 runs on 15 hits and left just eight men on base.
"Our guys came out and were focused from the time they stepped on the field at 9:30 (a.m.)," Western Oregon head baseball coach Jeremiah Robbins said. "The guys stuck with it and the attitude they showed with that focus is what we are looking for."
After putting up five runs in the second, the Wolves' bats stayed hot as they another in the third before getting three in the fourth and five more in the fifth to go up 14-1.
Western Oregon would add two runs on a Cody Reeve home run in the eighth giving it six extra base hits for the game.
Game 2
Kirk Lind (3-1) gave up just one hit in six innings to go along with eight strikeouts in his first college start as Western Oregon earned its second shutout of the season 16-0.
Coach Robbins described Lind's performance as "lights out" as he did not give up a hit in the first five innings of the game and no Montana State Billings' runner got past second base.
Eight of the nine Western Oregon starters collected hits in the game lead by Justin Speer who was 3-for-5 with four RBI and JJ Mascolo who went 3-for-4.
Lind would be spotted to a 4-0 lead after one inning on a Speer RBI-double, a MSUB throwing error and a home run by Thomas McCarthy.
WOU would go on to score three in the third and another in the fourth before breaking the game open with an eight-run fifth inning in which it sent 12 batters to the plate. The big hit of the inning was a three-run home run by Speer, which coach Robbins said was the second longest home run he had ever seen hit at the WOU Baseball Field.
Kevin Gamble came out of the bullpen for the Wolves and struck out the side in the seventh to complete the shutout.
"I was proud of our guys focus today," noted Robbins. "We focused on the task at hand and completed it. This was the best game I have seen us play all year."
Games tomorrow
These two teams will play another doubleheader tomorrow (Apr. 4) beginning at noon.
"We must have this same mental focus tomorrow because Billings is a better team than it showed today and we will have to get after it," concluded Robbins.
