Baseball | 3/5/2010 9:32:55 PM

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

NAMPA, Idaho - The Western Oregon baseball team took both games of a doubleheader from Northwest in its Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener, Friday (Mar. 5). The Wolves (7-8, 2-0 GNAC) got complete games from their starting pitchers in each contest, as they won game one 13-2 and game two 4-3.

Game 1
Michael Ward (2-1) held NNU to three hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out four without walking a batter in a complete game nine-inning performance. The Crusaders managed just one hit off Ward after the fourth inning, as he faced just three batters over the minimum.

Meanwhile, the Wolves homered four times, including two by Cody Reeves, who was starting for the first time this season at first base. Reeves got WOU on the board first in the top of the third with a two run shot to left. He finished the game going 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Daniel Dillard hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season and went 2-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. Aaron Headrick led the team with three hits in five at-bats and also added two runs scored. Garrett Breda also had a two-run homer and Logan Lotti added two RBI.

WOU was leading 4-1 after six innings before busting out with six runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth. The Wolves got two-run homers by Breda and Reeves in the seventh and added two more in the inning on doubles by Dillard and Lotti. The three runs in the eighth were all unearned, as NNU committed an error and a wild pitch.

Charles Pollock (0-1) took the loss after surrendering four runs and six hits in three innings pitched.

Game 2
Blake Keitzman (2-1) matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts in game two to help WOU complete the doubleheader sweep. He held NNU to four hits and three runs (two earned) over seven innings.

The Wolves scored two runs in the first on a single by Daniel Dillard and added another in the second on a sacrifice fly by Cesar Lopez to give Keitzman an early three-run cushion.

The Saints cut the Wolves' lead to one (3-2) with two runs in the bottom of the third on a double by Kramer Uvila and a throwing error by WOU.

Western Oregon would get an important insurance in the top of the fourth which would prove to be the difference in the game. With two outs in the inning Cody Reeves singled to left and Devon Bouvier tripled to left center to drive him in for the game-winning run.

Keitzman took it from there, holding NNU to just one hit over the final four innings. He ended the game by striking out the last three Crusader batters he faced.

Dillard had two RBI in the game to raise his season total to 12, while Bouvier and Lopez added one RBI apiece. Six different Wolves each collect one hit, including Garrett Breda and Jason Moseby who both doubled.

Zeb Sneed (1-3) went six innings for NNU and was saddled with the loss after giving up six hits, six walks and four earned runs.

Next game
These two teams will continue their four-game series with another doubleheader tomorrow (Mar. 6) beginning at noon (mst).