Baseball | 4/18/2014 8:55:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Oregon University baseball team grabbed the first two games of a four-game series at Northwest Nazarene University, 19-7 and 5-3, Friday.
 
With the victories, the Wolves (25-15, 18-8 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) move closer to being the first team to clinch a spot in the conference tournament. WOU has won 12 of the last 14 matchups with the Crusaders. After winning the first series this season in Monmouth, 3-1, Western Oregon will look for its second season series win over NNU with the final two games Saturday.
 
Matt Taylor finished the day 7-for-9 at the plate, with two doubles and two RBI. Daniel McNabb had six RBI, going 5-for-10 with a triple and a double. Tim Rausch had four RBI. Spenser Watkins and Clark McKitrick both picked up wins on the mound.
 
The Wolves scored all 19 of their runs in three innings in the first game. Northwest Nazarene opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second, but WOU tallied four runs in the third. A Taylor double down the right field line drove in Chris Bradshaw to tie the game. Rausch followed with an RBI single, and then McNabb brought in two runs with a triple.
 
The Crusaders scored a run in the fifth and sixth innings, but WOU racked up nine runs on eighth hits in the top of the seventh. Rausch had a pair of RBI singles during the inning. Nathan Etheridge hit a two-RBI single through the left side as well.
 
After holding NNU scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, the Wolves tacked on six more runs in the eighth. After Garret Harpole and Marcus Hinkle hit RBI singles, McNabb struck a three-RBI double to center field.
 
Northwest Nazarene scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth before falling. Colben McGuire (1-5) was credited with the loss. He gave up eight earned runs on 10 hits through six innings. He struck out five Wolves and walked one.
 
Watkins (5-3) grabbed the win on the mound. The senior tossed seven innings, striking out four Crusaders and throwing four walks. He allowed two earned runs on four hits.
 
In Game 2, NNU opened with a solo home run over the left field fence in the first inning. But, the Wolves countered again with the next three runs in the third and fourth innings. Miles and McNabb hit RBI singles in the third, and Harpole hit his third home run of the season in fourth. Northwest Nazarene added a run in the bottom half of the inning.
 
In the top of the fifth, Rausch brought in Taylor with a sacrifice fly to center field. Both teams scored one run in the seventh before the finish.
 
McKitrick (4-1) went 1.1 innings, allowing no runs and no hits on 24 pitches. Matt Minnich started for the Wolves, throwing the first 3.2 innings. Kody Stone earned his seventh save of the season, which is second currently in the GNAC. The conference-leader in wins, Aaron Vaughn (8-2), recorded the loss. In 6.1 innings, he gave up two earned runs on nine hits. Vaughn fanned eight Wolves, and threw no walks.
 
Saturday's doubleheader begins at 12 p.m. Mountain Time. Live audio and stats will be available on WOUWolves.com.
 

Western Oregon 19, Northwest Nazarene 7 (Apr 18, 2014 at Nampa, ID) (Game 1)
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Western Oregon...... 004 000 960  - 19 18  2      (24-15, 17-8 GNAC)
Northwest Nazarene.. 010 011 004  -  7  7  4      (15-21, 11-12 GNAC)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - Watkins,Spenser; Keller,Nick(8); Prosser,Zach(8); Ampi,Vince(9) and
Chavarria,Will. Northwest Nazarene - McGuire; Kuhn(7); Rieke(7); Emerson(7); Leitzinger(8);
Sigrist(8); Ferdinand(9) and Helmstadter; DeHaas.
Win-Watkins,Spenser(5-3)  Loss-McGuire(1-5)  T-2:52  A-103
HR NNU - Circeo (2).
Weather: sunny, 50s, breeze
McGuire faced 4 batters in the 7th.
Kuhn faced 2 batters in the 7th.
Rieke faced 3 batters in the 7th.
Leitzinger faced 5 batters in the 8th.

Western Oregon 5, Northwest Nazarene 3 (Apr 18, 2014 at Nampa, ID) (Game 2)
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Western Oregon...... 002 110 1 -  5  9  0      (25-15, 18-8 GNAC)
Northwest Nazarene.. 100 100 1 -  3  7  3      (15-22, 11-13 GNAC)
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Pitchers: Western Oregon - Minnich,Matt; McKitrick,Clark(4); Tokunaga,Chase(6); Stone,Kody(7)
and Turner,Jarrod; Chavarria,Will. Northwest Nazarene - Vaughn; Ferdinand(7) and Helmstadter.
Win-McKitrick,Clark(4-1)  Save-Stone,Kody(7)  Loss-Vaughn(8-2)  T-2:16  A-123
HR WOU - Harpole,Garret (3).
HR NNU - Glasgow (4).
Weather: sunny, 50s