Baseball | 4/24/2011 2:31:07 PM

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

BILLINGS, Mont. - Coming off their doubleheader sweep on Saturday, the Western Oregon baseball team came back on Sunday determined to win the series against Montana State Billings.

The Wolves' rallied behind their starter Grady Wood, and four RBI apiece from Daniel Dillard and Grant Glover to win game one 13-1. In game two, Kirk Lind tossed 5.2 innings of one-run ball and WOU took advantage of early MSU Billings errors to earn the 5-1 win and the series sweep.

Western Oregon (27-11, 17-3 GNAC) has now won 11 straight games to seize a one-game lead over Saint Martin's (24-19, 20-8 GNAC) in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.

Game 1
Grady Wood (5-4) pitched a complete game, allowing four hits and one run, while striking out a career-high 11 and not walking a batter in the 13-1 win. Wood has now won five straight decisions, and has given up one run or less in four of his last five starts.

Seniors Grant Glover and Daniel Dillard provided the offensive support for Wood as each homered and drove in four runs. Dillard, who now has a 13-game hitting streak, finished the game 3-for-4 with a double and the home run. Glover added two hits to help the Wolves outhit the Yellowjackets 16-4.

Western Oregon left little to doubt in game three of the series as they scored in each of the first three innings. Dillard got the Wolves on the board with a two-run homer first, and after Josh Solemsaas singled in a run in the second, Michael Chiarelli hit his second home run of the year to put WOU in front 5-1. The Wolves would seal the game with a six-run outburst in the top of the sixth, which included a grand slam by Glover.

Game 2
Kirk Lind earned his fourth straight victory as he allowed seven hits and one run while striking out six en route to a 5-1 Wolves win.

Western Oregon never trailed in the game as they pushed across three unearned runs in the first inning and then manufactured two more in the second to stake Lind to the 5-0 lead.

"I really liked our small-ball package today," noted Western Oregon head coach Jeremiah Robbins. "Our guys are going up there and competing each at-bat. We are making things happen with the bats and on the bases."

It was that aggressiveness on the bases that led to every run. First it was Aaron Headrick hustling down the line to reach on an error in the first and keep the inning alive for the Wolves to score three runs. WOU's fourth run of the game came on a double steal by Steve Ockerman and Grant Glover, as Ockerman took home and Glover took second. With a runner still in scoring position Headrick knocked a two-out single up the middle to plate Glover for the Wolves' fifth run of the game.

Griffin Boyd was the only student-athlete for Western Oregon to record a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in.
"We are going to take it one game, one at-bat and one pitch at a time," said Robbins about the rest of the season. "I like the way we are playing as a team right now and we will continue to go out there and battle."

Next games
The Wolves will be at Central Washington this week to take on the Wildcats, Apr. 30-May. 1