LACEY, Wash. – Two single-game records were broken on Saturday afternoon as the Western Oregon baseball team posted 29 hits, including 14 doubles, in a 20-6 series opening win at Saint Martin's. Senior pitcher Garrett Alvarez tossed a complete game to earn the Wolves a win in the nightcap, 4-2, at Saints Field.
 
WOU, who extended their winning streak to 12 games, improved to 22-13 on the year and 17-8 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action. Saint Martin's fell to 11-25 overall and 8-18 in the conference.
 
GAME ONE: WOU 20, Saint Martin's 6
Every member of the starting lineup had at least one hit and eight of the nine had multi-hit games as WOU broke a 15-year old record for hits in a single game in the Wolves' opening 20-6 win over the Saints.
 
The 29 hits posted by WOU is one better than the mark set by the 2001 club with 28 hits in a 25-0 win over Central Washington. In that same game back in 2001, WOU had 10 doubles. That mark was obliterated by the current pack of Wolves, who had fourteen two-baggers Saturday against the Saints.
 
WOU trailed 2-0 after an inning, but three of the aforementioned doubles helped scored five runs in the top of the second for a 5-2 lead. Jay Leverett tied the game with a two-run double to left field and Brock Pradere immediately followed with a two-bagger through the left side. After a sacrifice fly from Erik Long scored Pradere, Trevor Podratz found space in center field for two bases.
 
The lead expanded to 9-4 after Leverett's sacrifice fly and a two run single from Brandon Oliver in the third was followed in the fourth frame by a RBI single from Joey Crunkilton.
 
Western Oregon blew the game wide open with seven runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Cody Sullivan and a two-run home run from Kyle Vanderkin. Two more doubles, from Leverett and Pradere, added the final tallies of the big inning. A final three-spot in the sixth preceded a lone score in the ninth to account for 20 runs.
 
All of the offensive support came behind six innings from Brady Miller, who improved to 8-0 on the year. He threw six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits while striking out seven. Trey Smith scattered a pair of runs over three frames to close out the game for the save.
 
Torin Dooley took the losing decision for SMU giving up eight runs on 10 hits in his 2 2/3 innings.
 
GAME TWO: WOU 4, Saint Martin's 2
Single tallies in the first, second, fourth and seventh innings were enough offense as Alvarez held the Saints to six hits in a 4-2 WOU victory.
 
In an overflow from Saturday's opener, Podratz got the Wolves on the board with a RBI double in the first inning, scoring Oliver. Leverett added a sacrifice fly in the second inning and Pradere brought home Cody Poznanski with a double in the third.
 
Alvarez allowed just one hit through three frames before falling into trouble in the SMU fourth. He gave up a run-scoring single and offered a bases loaded walk to cut the WOU lead to one run, 3-2. A ground ball to shortstop ended the threat with the bag still full of Saint runners.
 
A two-out double from Sullivan in the visiting half of the seventh inning added an insurance run to make the score 4-2.
 
Alvarez, who had retired six of the next seven batters he faced after the fourth inning, gave up a one-out single in the last frame. But he closed out his fifth win over the year without a loss inducing a ground ball double play to Long at shortstop. Alvarez fanned a season-best eight hitter while scattering six hits.
 
Podratz led the WOU eight-hit attack going 3-for-3 with an intentional walk. Pradere went 2-for-4 with a run and a run batted in.
 
Western Oregon closes its weekend series at Saint Martin's with another doubleheader Sunday beginning at 12 noon.