ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Senior Jesse Pratt won his fifth straight game and put together his best outing of the season with a one-hit performance in Game #2, as Western Oregon University's baseball team swept Central Washington University, 3-2 & 10-0, in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Friday at the CWU Baseball Field.

Western Oregon (16-17, 12-5 GNAC) was led by the junior combo of Nathan Etheridge and Cody Sullivan with a combined five hits each, as Etheridge went a perfect 4-for-4 in Game #2 to go along with Sullivan collecting four runs batted in and scored three runs in the finale.

In Game #1, junior Darrien Moran went the opening 5.2 innings allowing two earned runs on eight hits en route to earning his third win of the season before turning the ball over to the relief duo of freshman Brady Miller and junior Jacob Storedahl. Miller would go 2.1 innings allowing just one hit to go along with a team-high four strikeouts, while Storedahl went the ninth inning en route to earning his third save of the season. In Friday's finale, Pratt went the distance allowing one hit and one walk in 7.0 innings of work to go along with a game-high eight K's to improve to 6-1 on the season.

Central Washington (15-18, 6-12 GNAC) would get a combined three hits by Kasey Bielec that included a 2-for-4 effort in Game #1 to go along with the lone hit for the Wildcats with one out in the top of the seventh inning in Game #2.

Mitch Yada went the opening 5.0 innings for CWU in the opener allowing two unearned runs on four hits before turning the ball over to Alhanon Miller and Austin Greene for the final 4.0 innings. Miller would allow one earned run in 3.0 innings of work, as he suffered the loss and Greene would pitch the ninth inning for the Wildcats. Game #2 would feature Zach Johnson for the opening 4.1 innings as he allowed six runs (two earned) on five hits before the bullpen took over with Jacob Forrester, Michael Sullivan, and Davis Engel combining to allow four earned runs on six hits over the final 2.2 innings.

GAME #1 — WESTERN OREGON 3, CENTRAL WASHINGTON 2

Friday's opener would begin with Western Oregon scoring the game's opening run in the top of the first inning when senior Matt Taylor singled up the middle with two outs before advancing to second on a wild pitch and coming home one batter later when Etheridge reached on a fielding error that allowed Taylor to score and gave the visiting Wolves an early 1-0 lead.

Central Washington would come back with single runs in the second and third inning, as the Wildcats took a 2-1 lead on a RBI single to left field by Bielec that scored Darren Honeysett following his lead off single to start CWU's at-bat in the third inning.

In the top of the fifth inning, Western Oregon would get a single run that tied the game at 2-2 when senior Marcus Hinkle led off the Wolves' at-bat with a single through the left side before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Brenden Shaffer. After a wild pitch allowed Hinkle to move to third, Taylor reached base on a pass ball despite striking out allowing the inning to continue. During WOU's next at-bat, Taylor would move to second and Hinkle would score the game-tying run on a balk by Central Washington that evened the score at 2-all.

After a pitching change by CWU that removed Yada and brought in Miller to start the sixth inning, Sullivan would register a one-out single through the left side before coming around to score on a double down the left field line by senior Jacob Whisler that turned out to be the game-winning RBI as Western Oregon pulled ahead, 3-2.

Central Washington would threaten to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, as the Wildcats put runners on the corners with two outs before Miller ended CWU's threat with an inning-ending strikeout.

Two innings later, Central Washington would threaten again by putting runners on second and third with two outs only to have Miller induce an inning-ending fly out that kept Western Oregon in front by a single run heading into the ninth inning.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Central Washington would get to the Wolves' closer, Storedahl, putting a runner on second base with one out before the junior right-hander got a strikeout and game-ending fly out as Western Oregon pushed its winning streak against CWU to four games so far this season with the hard-fought 3-2 victory.

Sullivan led Western Oregon's offense with a pair of hits, while five other Wolves – Hinkle, Taylor, Etheridge, Whisler, and junior Cody Poznanski – combined to tally WOU's other five hits. Whisler would register the Wolves' lone RBI of the game, as he drove in the game-winning run with his aforementioned double in the sixth inning.

Central Washington would get two hits each from Bielec, Cory Welch, and Jeff Beckman, while four other Wildcats also tallied hits in the game.

GAME #2 — WESTERN OREGON 10, CENTRAL WASHINGTON 0

The finale on Friday would be a completely different story for both teams, as Western Oregon broke through with its first double-digit game since a 14-5 victory over MSU Billings on March 14 while Central Washington was held to just one hit against Pratt after registering 10 hits in the opener.

Sullivan would begin the game with his first home run of the season via a solo shot over the right field wall in the top of the second inning, as Western Oregon scored at least one run in each of the next three innings that included a four-run fourth that extended the Wolves' lead to 6-0.

WOU would end the scoring with back-to-back-to-back doubles in the top of the seventh inning, as Western Oregon pushed its lead to 10-0 on RBI doubles by Etheridge, Sullivan, and junior Brandon Oliver for the final runs of the day.

Pratt did not allow a Central Washington base runner until the top of the sixth inning when Zach Reay drew a one-out walk en route to snapping his streak of 16-straight outs to begin the game. The senior right-hander would settle down and get the next three batters before Bielec erased Pratt's bid for a no-hitter with a one-out single to center field in the top of the seventh inning, as he went 6.1 innings without allowing a hit.

After the drama had ended, Pratt got the final CWU hitter that he faced via a game-ending double play as Western Oregon began the weekend series with a two-game sweep that pushed the Wolves' series record this season against Central Washington to five wins in six games.

Etheridge would lead Western Oregon's offense with a perfect 4-for-4 performance, while Sullivan went 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored.

The only offense that Central Washington could muster was off the bat of Bielec thanks to his aforementioned single that broke up Pratt's potential no-hitter.

Both teams will return to action tomorrow – Saturday, April 4 – to close out this weekend's four-game series with an afternoon double header that begins at noon on the CWU Baseball Field in Ellensburg, Washington.