Baseball | 4/10/2010 5:49:17 PM

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

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Western Oregon completed the sweep of Northwest Nazarene to extend its lead in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference to 5.5 games. During the four-game series, WOU allowed only seven runs to NNU, which entered the weekend averaging 7.7 runs per game.

The Wolves (20-11, 15-3) pushed their winning streak to 10 games while earning their second straight series sweep. The Crusaders dropped to 18-18 on the season, 10-9 in conference and to 5.5 games out of first place with 14 games remaining.

Game 1
Jacob Pettit (4-1) went the distance allowing seven hits and one run for his first complete game of the season. He also struck out two and walked just one to lower his GNAC-leading ERA to 2.20 during a Wolves' 3-1 victory.

Grant Glover and Jason Moseby both recorded a multi-hit game for the Wolves. Cody Reeves gave WOU the early lead with a sacrifice fly in the second inning to score Aaron Headrick. Kyle Boe then put them up 2-0 with a solo home run to dead center field in the third. Devon Bouvier then knocked in another on a single to right in the seventh to give the Wolves and Pettit an insurance run.

Pettit carried that momentum back to the mound and retired the final six batters of the game for NNU in order for his fourth win of the season.

"I didn't feel that good early but I got better as the game went on," said Pettit. "This was a huge weekend for us and we didn't feel the pressure because we are supposed to win."

"It was a phenomenal performance by Pettit on the mound today," WOU head coach Jeremiah Robbins explained. "He gutted it up and said he wanted the ball in the ninth."

Four of the Wolves' hits went for extra bases while all seven hits for NNU were singles. However, WOU did strand 12 runners.

Game 2
Grant Glover singled in Cesar Lopez from second base in the bottom of the sixth inning to complete a four-run comeback for the Wolves. That hit was his third of the game and his second RBI as Western Oregon completed the sweep with a 5-4 win.

"I was trying to push the ball to the right side to move up Cesar," said Glover about his game-winning single, "but I got a fastball away and just went with it."

Glover also knocked in the Wolves' first run of the game in the fifth inning, on a double down the left field line, and WOU went on to put four runs on the board that inning and tie the game at 4-4.

After Glover knocked Lopez, WOU loaded the bases and with the sacks full Kyle Boe and Daniel Dillard where both hit by pitches in back-to-back plate appearances to bring the Wolves to within one run at 4-3. Devon Bouvier then came up with a clutch hit for the second straight game as he went the opposite way to drive in Boe.

Lopez went 2-for-3 in the contest and second two runs. Daniel Dillard reached base in all three of his plate appearances, registering two hits and a walk.

Jesse Nunley earned the win in relief with two innings of no-hit ball to keep WOU within striking distance. Freshman Gavin Hite then closed the door with a perfect seventh inning, including striking out the final two hitters, for his first career save.

"I can't say enough about our pitchers holding the No. 1 hitting team in our league to just seven runs in the series," said Robbins. "Our pitchers really shut the door when we needed them to. Nunley kept us in it and Hite had one of the more impressive performances out of the pen this season.

"With good pitching and key hitting you are going to win a lot of games," Robbins continued. "This was one of the better team efforts since I have been here as our guys grinded it out and found a way to sweep the series."

Next games
The Wolves will have a short turnaround this week, as they host Saint Martin's in a doubleheader on Tuesday, Apr. 13. This is the makeup game from the Mar. 28 rainout.