Baseball | 4/2/2011 12:38:40 AM

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

NAMPA, Idaho - Michael Ward and Grady Wood combined to hold Northwest Nazarene to two runs and nine hits over the course of a doubleheader to lead Western Oregon to a pair of victories.

With the doubleheader sweep Western Oregon moves to 15-9 on the season and to within two games of idle Saint Martin's (8-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference).

Game 1
Michael Ward struck out 10 Crusaders and gave up just one run en route to leading the Wolves to a 6-1 win in the opener.

Ward (4-2) allowed just five hits and one walk in his eight innings of work, while setting down NNU in order four times. He also had the benefit of pitching with the lead the entire game as the Wolves' offense staked him to two runs in the first and another in the second.

Western Oregon's first run came on a two-out double by Bo Folkinga, which followed a walk to Daniel Dillard. Folkinga then crossed the plate on a single to center by catcher Michael Chiarelli to give WOU and Ward a lead which would never be relinquished.

Miles Kizer celebrated his first day bay in the lineup with his first homer as a Wolf. He was also one of six Wolves to collect two hits apiece.

Game 2
Grady Wood came back in game two with even more dominant performance than Ward. The Crusaders scraped just two hits off Wood, who pitched the complete game in the 5-1 win. He induced 14 groundball outs and did not allow any extra base hits.

Daniel Dillard proved the offense with a grand slam to left field, breaking a scoreless tie, in the top of the fifth. The Wolves' other run came on Griffin Boyd's homer to lead off the sixth.

Josh Solemsaas, who started both games at shortstop of the Wolves, was the only Western Oregon student-athlete to collect two hits as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Next games
The series will conclude with another doubleheader starting Saturday at 11:00 a.m. (PST).