Baseball | 3/7/2014 7:41:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon University baseball team won its fourth and fifth straight games in a sweep over Montana State University Billings Friday, 9-1 and 5-4.

The Wolves' (11-8, 5-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) Spenser Watkins threw 12 strikeouts, a conference-high so far this season. The senior became the second pitcher in the GNAC this year to toss a complete game. Chris Bradshaw finished with five RBI, after going 4-for-8 at the plate.

Western Oregon scored a run in each of the first two innings, before adding seven runs in the seventh and eighth frames. An RBI single to left field by Daniel McNabb opened the scoring in the first, and a sacrifice fly by Austin Hamilton drove in another run in the second. Matt Eames and Watkins then had a pitchers' duel over the next four innings. Neither side crossed the plate during a stretch that saw a combined four hits.

In the seventh, after a Hamilton RBI double, the Wolves brought two runs in on a wild pitch. Bradshaw then scored two runs in the eight with a single up the middle. Matt Taylor and McNabb drove in the final two WOU runs.

Eames (0-2) allowed two earned runs on four hits in the loss, while Watkins (2-3) scattered seven hits and one earned run over the nine-inning performance. He walked two Yellowjackets. Watkins threw 70 strikes in his 112 total pitches.

Matt Minnich (3-2) was the Game 2 winner for Western Oregon. He gave up two earned runs on three hits over the first four innings. Kody Stone grabbed his fourth save of the season. Drew Christina (0-3) was credited with the loss after throwing five innings.

Montana State Billings (1-13, 0-2 GNAC) scored the game's first run in the top of the first, but WOU responded with two runs in the second. A Matt Taylor single through the right side brought in the Wolves' third run in the fourth inning. Bradshaw countered a MSU Billings' score in the fifth, with a two RBI single in the sixth. The Yellowjackets threatened in the seventh with two scores, and left the bases loaded to close the game.

The teams return for the third and fourth games of the series Saturday. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Western Oregon 9, MSU Billings 1 (03/07/14 at Monmouth, OR) (Game 1)
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MSU Billings........ 000 000 001  -  1  7  1      (1-12, 0-1)
Western Oregon...... 110 000 34X  -  9 12  1      (10-8, 4-1)
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Pitchers: MSU Billings - Eames; J.Andriolo(7); Knoll(7); Busto(8) and Nix. Western Oregon -
Watkins,Spenser and Turner,Jarrod.
Win-Watkins,Spenser(2-3)  Loss-Eames(0-2)  T-2:17  A-87
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Western Oregon 5, MSU Billings 4 (03/07/14 at Monmouth, OR) (Game 2)
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MSU Billings........ 100 010 2 -  4  9  2      (1-13, 0-2)
Western Oregon...... 020 102 X -  5  5  0      (11-8, 5-1)
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Pitchers: MSU Billings - Christina; Mills(6) and Holbrook. Western Oregon - Minnich,Matt;
Hetrick,Taylor(5); Kayser,Zach(6); Stone,Kody(7) and Chavarria,Will.
Win-Minnich,Matt(3-2)  Save-Stone,Kody(4)  Loss-Christina(0-3)  T-2:25  A-0
Weather: Mostly sunny

Minnich faced 2 batters in the 5th.
Christina faced 1 batter in the 6th.