Baseball | 2/16/2014 7:29:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Western Oregon University baseball team split a doubleheader at the top-ranked team in NCAA Div. III, Linfield College, 0-6 and 5-0, Sunday.

Spenser Watkins (1-2) picked up his first victory of the season after throwing three innings in the Game 2 win. Also in the win, Tim Rausch hit a two-run home run for the Wolves (5-3). Western Oregon handed the defending Div. III National Champions their first loss of the season.

The Wildcats (5-1) controlled the first game. Jo Carroll went 1-for-3 at the plate with three RBI, while Corey VanDomelen and Eric Lawson both went 2-for-4. Lawson added a RBI. Jake Wylie was 2-of-5 at the plate with one RBI. Chris Haddeland (2-0) grabbed the victory after allowing only two hits in seven innings of work. He struck out six Wolves and threw three walks. Matt Minnich (1-1) was credited with the loss after giving up five earned runs on three hits in 1.1 innings.

After 4.5 innings of scoreless play, Linfield broke open the scoring with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. The starting pitchers allowed only three hits through the first four innings, but the Wildcats took advantage of four hits and a WOU error in the fifth inning. Linfield left nine runners on base in the victory, while Western Oregon stranded five. Both teams committed one error.

Game 2 began eerily similar as neither side scored a run through the first five innings. Watkins and the starter, Clark McKitrick, allowed only two hits in six innings of work. The duo combined for six strikeouts and only one walk. Christian Morrison, Zev Egli, and Kody Stone all preserved the victory on the mound through the final three innings.

Linfield's Zach Brandon retired six of the first eight Wolves he faced. He allowed four hits, but no runs, in the first five innings. Aaron Thomassen (1-1) had the loss. He gave up four earned runs on two hits.

In the top of the sixth inning, Caleb Falck drove in Daniel McNabb with a sacrifice fly to right field to open the scoring. Garret Harpole stole home on the play as well to put WOU ahead 2-0. Rausch's two-run home run followed in the seventh inning. McNabb recorded his team-high ninth RBI in the top of the ninth inning with a single that scored Matt Taylor.

Western Oregon finished with eight hits, and the Wolves' bullpen allowed only three Wildcat hits. Linfield committed two of the game's three errors. WOU left nine runners on base and Linfield left five.

The renewal between programs located only 26 miles apart was originally scheduled as a home-and-home series, but a rainy week on top of already wet field conditions from a weekend snowstorm forced the teams to play both games in McMinnville. The schools have not met in baseball since 2011. The Wildcats won that meeting, 4-3, in a tournament in Lewiston, Idaho. Sunday was only the second meeting between the programs since 2000; the last in Oregon was 14 years ago. Linfield owns the all-time series, 29-20-1.

Western Oregon wraps up its non-conference regular season schedule at Lewis-Clark State. The four-game series begins Friday with a single nine-inning game. The Warriors (4-0) are No. 2 in the NAIA. They just completed a four-game sweep over fellow Great Northwest Athletic Conference member, Montana State Billings. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Live audio and stats will be available on WOUWolves.com.

Linfield 6, Western Oregon 0 (2/16/14 at McMinnville, Ore.) (Game 1)
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Western Oregon...... 000 000 000  -  0  2  1      (4-3)
Linfield............ 000 050 10X  -  6  8  1      (5-0)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - Huson,Eric; Minnich,Matt(4); Hetrick,Taylor(5); Keller,Nick(7);
Storedahl,Jacob(8) and Sherwin,Michael. Linfield - Haddeland; Stevick(8) and Wylie.
Win-Haddeland(2-0)  Loss-Minnich,Matt(1-1)  T-2:24  A-200

Western Oregon 5, Linfield 0 (2/16/14 at McMinnville, Ore.) (Game 2)
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Western Oregon...... 000 002 201  -  5  7  1      (5-3)
Linfield............ 000 000 000  -  0  3  2      (5-1)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - McKitrick,Clark; Watkins,Spenser(4); Morrison,Christian(7);
Egli,Zev(8); Stone,Kody(9) and Falck,Caleb. Linfield - Brandon; Thomassen(6); Manly(9) and
Laboda.
Win-Watkins,Spenser(1-2)  Loss-Thomassen(1-1)  T-2:09  A-0
HR WOU - Rausch,Tim (1).