FRESNO, Calif. – After weather forced the official first pitch of the season one week, the Western Oregon baseball team opened Thursday's doubleheader with an offensive flurry to defeat host Fresno Pacific, 7-5, at FPU Diamond. Both offenses cooled in an early pitcher's duel before the Sunbirds exploded for a big inning to take the nightcap, 7-0, to earn a doubleheader split.
 
Jacob Martinez had three hits, scored a run and knocked in another for the Wolves (1-1). Garrett Anderson scored twice and Koty Fallon knocked in a pair of runs.
 
Both teams posted an early run in the series opener. Western Oregon needed just one hit, a Fallon single through the right side, to plate Anderson for the early 1-0 lead.
 
Brady Miller scattered a two-run run to the Sunbirds (2-4), but calmed down to shut down FPU until the fifth. At one point, Miller retired 10 straight FPU batters.
 
The Wolves pushed ahead with two runs in the fourth inning on a RBI single up the middle from Forrest Garcia scoring Jay Leverett and a Martinez sac fly getting Brock Pradere home. The lead extended to 4-1 after Leverett lifted a fly ball to center field deep enough to allow Tony Fonzo to tag up from third.
 
Staked to a four-run lead, Miller walked two in the bottom half of the fifth. After the Sunbirds laid down a sacrifice bunt, a two-run single and two-run triple into the right-center gap flipped the score to 5-4 in favor of Fresno Pacific.
 
Connor McCord relieved Miller in the sixth and kept FPU off the board until the Wolves could get three big runs in the top of the eighth.
 
Anderson was plunked and moved to third on a Martinez double. Nyles Nygaard brought the game even with a single to right field. FPU made a pitching change and Fallon, two batters later, singled home Martinez with the go-ahead run. Justin Waken added some insurance with a comebacker that snuck into center field to plate Nygaard for a 7-5 lead.
 
Kade Mechals recorded a six-out save allowing one walk while striking out three to give McCord the win. McCord struck out two in two frames.
 
In the nightcap, the bottom of the sixth inning marred what was a fantastic effort from WOU starting pitcher Elias Bedolla. He retired 14 consecutive batters after seeing the second batter of the game reach on an error. Bedolla carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning.
 
Offensively, the Wolves stranded a runner at third base twice, including getting runners to second and third with one out in the fifth frame.
 
FPU struck for seven runs on four hits, combined with two WOU errors, to sprint ahead toward victory.
 
Bedolla took the loss despite allowing just one hit over five-plus innings. He struck out five and walked two. Shawn Domke, in his return to the hill after missing last year, scattered two unearned runs on three hits.
 
Friday is an off day for Western Oregon before returning back to FPU Diamond on Saturday to complete the four-game series with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.