Baseball | 3/6/2010 5:16:39 PM

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

NAMPA, Idaho - The Western Oregon baseball team split a Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader with Northwest Nazarene Saturday (Mar. 6), to take the series 3-1. The Wolves (8-9, 3-1 GNAC) dropped game one 14-12 but bounced back with an 11-3 victory in game two.

Game 1
NNU scored six runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to overcome a six-run deficit en route to taking game one 14-12.

Western Oregon put runs on the board in each of the first seven innings to go in front 11-5 before NNU mounted a rally to take the lead.

Joel Oliver went 2-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored, and Sean McDonald also knocked in three runs to lead the Crusaders' offense, which had three home runs.

The Wolves had four student-athletes collect multiple hits and record at least two RBI. Cesar Lopez was 3-of-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Jason Moseby and Andrew Irvine both went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in, while Logan Lotti added three RBI on 2-of-5 hitting. For the game, WOU hit six homers, including two apiece by Lotti and Irvine.

Kalen Hruza (1-0) picked up the win in relief for NNU and Ryan Brown got the save. Western Oregon's starter Jacob Pettit went the first 4.1 inning allowing five run, three of which were unearned. Brad Carter (0-1) took the loss after giving up a three-run shot to Oliver in the bottom of the eighth with the score tied at 11-11.

Game 2
Kirk Lind (1-1) delivered the Wolves' third complete game of the series, as he went all seven innings while striking out six and allowing three runs for his first win of the season.

Kyle Boe knocked in a WOU season-high five runs going 3-for-3 with two two-run homers. Cesar Lopez and Aaron Headrick added two RBI apiece out of the top two spots in the order. Lopez also scored two runs and tied for the team-lead with his fifth home run of the season. Daniel Dillard went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, while Lopez and Devon Bouvier each collected two hits.

The Wolves put up single runs in the first, third and fourth innings before breaking the game open with a six-run fifth. Boe started things off in the fifth with a two-run homer, before Garrett Breda and Lopez each added an RBI single. Headrick capped off the inning with a two-run single to left to plate Breda and Lopez.

Ryan Udy and Ryan VanBeek both hit solo shots for NNU.

"(NNU) is a very tough place to play, but our kids were resilient," said Western Oregon head coach Jeremiah Robbins. "Northwest Nazarene had all the momentum heading into game two, but our guys responded with phenomenal performances on the mound and with the bat.

"I am very proud of our team for taking three of four games to win the series for the third straight time," continued Robbins.

Next games
The WOU baseball team will finally get their chance to play in front of the hometown fans for the first time this season when it hosts Montana State Billings in a four-game series, Mar. 12-13. The teams will play a doubleheaders Friday and Saturday beginning at noon.