Baseball | 2/22/2014 5:22:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

LEWISTON, Idaho – The Western Oregon University baseball team handed NAIA's second-ranked team, Lewis-Clark State College, its first loss of the season in the third game of the four game series Saturday.

The Wolves (6-5) dropped the day's opener, 8-4, before rebounding for a 6-1 victory in the nightcap. Eric Huson picked up his first victory of the season on the mound. He held the Warriors to one run on five hits through six innings. Matt Taylor and Garret Harpole both hit home runs on the second day. Taylor finished the day 4-for-9 at the plate with five RBI.

Lewis-Clark State grabbed the opening game of the series Friday, and started the second game with two runs in the first inning. A pair of sacrifice flies to right field drove in the scores. Harpole's home run evened the score in the top of the third inning. The junior's deep shot over the left field fence brought in two runs.

The Warriors responded with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. A Nathan Etheridge single through the left side scored Tim Rausch in the sixth inning, and then Matt Taylor brought in Harpole in the seventh inning with a single to center field. A Cody Lavalli home run in the seventh for LCSC and another run in the eighth sealed the win.

Lavalli would finish 2-for-4 with two RBI in the victory. Jacob Cano went 2-for-5. Carsen Nylund (1-0) was one of four Warriors that pitched in the first game Saturday. He received the win after 2.1 innings of work. Nylund allowed no earned runs on two hits. Matt Minnich (1-2) was credited with the loss. Taylor Hetrick and Jesse Pratt also made appearances for the Wolves. Western Oregon left six runners on base, while LCSC stranded 10.

In the third game of the series, WOU scored six runs on its 10 hits. It also committed only one error, while the Warriors had five.

It was a pitcher's duel through the first four innings, as neither team crossed the plate, and both teams had three hits. Taylor opened the scoring in the top of the fifth with a one-out three-run home run. His deep shot to right field brought in Chris Bradshaw and Caleb Falck. Lavalli drove in the Warriors' lone run in the sixth inning.

The Wolves closed the game with three runs in the final two innings. Etheridge hit a solo home run in the eighth and Taylor doubled to right center field in the ninth scoring a run. Huson (1-0) allowed one earned run on five hits through the first six innings. He struck out two Warriors and walked two. Gunnar Swanson (1-1) had the loss for LCSC.

The fourth and final game of the series begins Sunday at 12 p.m. Live audio and stats will be available on WOUWolves.com.

Lewis-Clark State 8, Western Oregon 4 (Feb 22, 2014 at Lewiston, ID) (Game 1)
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Western Oregon...... 002 001 100  -  4  8  2      (5-5)
Lewis-Clark State... 204 000 11X  -  8  8  3      (6-0)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - Minnich,Matt; Hetrick,Taylor(3); Pratt,Jesse(8) and Sherwin,Michael.
Lewis-Clark State - Keene; Gofinch(5); Nylund(6); Chartrand(9) and Shirley.
Win-Nylund(1-0)  Loss-Minnich,Matt(1-2)  T-2:13  A-145
HR WOU - Harpole,Garret (1).
HR LCSC - Lavalli (1).
Weather: 37 degrees.  Overcast.

Minnich faced 6 batters in the 3rd.
Western Oregon 6, Lewis-Clark State 1 (Feb 22, 2014 at Lewiston, ID) (Game 2)
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Western Oregon...... 000 030 012  -  6 10  1      (6-5)
Lewis-Clark State... 000 001 000  -  1  8  5      (6-1)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - Huson,Eric; Tokunaga,Chase(7); Morrison,Christian(7);
Kayser,Zach(8); Stone,Kody(9) and Falck,Caleb. Lewis-Clark State - Swanson; Kerns(6); Wright(9)
and Hawk.
Win-Huson,Eric(1-0)  Loss-Swanson(1-1)  T-2:13  A-115
HR WOU - Taylor,Matt (1); Etheridge,Nathan (1).

Tokunaga faced 2 batters in the 7th.