Baseball | 5/9/2013 7:21:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Western Oregon baseball team split a pair of games to open the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Championship on Friday afternoon, defeating Montana State Billings, 7-0, before falling in a pitcher's duel to Central Washington, 3-0.

GAME ONE RECAP

WOU took advantage of five MSU Billings errors while Wolves starter Spenser Watkins tossed eight scoreless inning as WOU cruised to a 7-0 victory over the Yellowjackets in game one of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Championship on Thursday.

Watkins was in control throughout the victory as the right-hander improved to 8-6 on the season after allowing only three hits while striking out nine in eight innings of work.

WOU gave Watkins all the run support he would need with a single run in the first inning. With runners on first and second, Tim Rausch singled to left field, scoring Blake Miller as the Wolves grabbed a 1-0 lead.

The Wolves would extended the lead with three unearned runs in the fourth as a pair of two-out hits gave WOU a four-run lead. Bradshaw started the two-out rally, driving home Will Chavarria with a single to right to make the score 2-0. Miller then provided the key hit in the inning with a double down the left field line, clearing the bases and scoring Bradshaw and Scott David for a 4-0 lead.

WOU would put the finishing touches on the game one win with a pair of runs in the seveth. Will Chavarria would score on a throwing error while Garrett Harpole would eventually come on homr on a wild pitch for the final run of the game.

MSUB would be unable to find an answer over the last two innings as Brady Muller took the loss for CWU, falling to 6-4 on the season after allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings of work.

Rausch led the Wolves attack, going 4-for-4 with a run and a RBI while Miller added a pair of RBI and two walks for WOU.

The win ensures WOU will advance to Friday's action as the Wolves will look to win the first two games of the championship when they face CWU at 4:00 p.m.

GAME TWO RECAP

The Central Washington baseball team broke open a scoreless tie in the ninth inning with three runs as the Wildcats defeated Western Oregon, 3-0, in game three of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Championship on Thursday afternoon. With the loss, WOU falls to 32-20 on the season, while Central Washington improved to 30-22 on the season and moved to within one win of the postseason title.

WOU was unable to get anything going offensively against CWU starter Joe Arlt as the left-hander tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing only five hits as he moved to 3-0 on the season. Arlt struck out five WOU batters as the Wolves stranded nine runners on base.

The Wildcats would break open the scoreless tie with back-to-back hits to lead off the ninth inning. After Kramer Ferrell opened the inning with a double, Ethan Sterkel laced a single to center field, scoring Ferrrell from second for the first run of the game.

The back-to-back hits chased WOU starter AJ Burke as he ended up the tough-luck loser for the Wolves, allowing two runs on six hits in eight-plus innings of work. The senior right-hander struck out nine as he fell to 7-4 on the season.

CWU would add a pair of insurance runs in the inning when Sterkel scored on a wild pitch and Spencer Hannah came around on a single by Marc Garza as the Wildcats took a three-run lead into the Wolves final at-bat.

The Wolves would be unable to get anything going; however, as Arlt retired WOU in order to complete the shutout.

The loss forces WOU to win two games on Friday in order to claim the postseason title while CWU will need only one victory following their win over Montana State Billings earlier in the day.

The two teams will return to action in the championship round on Friday, May 10, at 12:00 p.m. for the WOU Baseball Field. Tickets to the championship are $8 for adults and $5 for students.