RAVENSDALE, Wash. – The Western Oregon baseball team earned its third consecutive win in a row taking the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Saint Martin's before the Saints earned a split of the day with a walkoff, extra-innings win to end the day at Ravensdale Park.
 
Western Oregon is now 10-6 overall and 9-3 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. SMU sits at 8-14 with the spilt and 5-9 in the league.
 
GAME ONE – Western Oregon 8, Saint Martin's 1
Brady Miller had his best start of the season throwing seven shutout innings as the Wolves cruised to a comfortable series-opening win. The junior pitcher struck out five and offered up singles in the second and third innings in evening his season record to 2-2.
 
The Wolves scored two runs in the top of the second inning. Torreahno Sweet led off with a double into the left-center gap and scored on an error. Later in the frame, Boog Leach singled in Nyles Nygaard for a 2-0 lead.
 
Back-to-back doubles from Jacob Martinez and Brock Pradere tallied the Wolves' third run of the game in the seventh inning while the floodgates opened in the eighth frame scoring four runs. Leach has a two-run single in the frame while Martinez plated a run on a fielder's choice and Garrett Anderson scored from third on a wild pitch.
 
The Saints picked up a run on a RBI double in the eighth inning, but Shawn Domke closed the door rolling up a double play in the ninth frame.
 
GAME TWO – Western Oregon 2, Saint Martin's 1 (8 Innings)
The scoring was much more limited in game two with the Saints grabbing the win in the bottom of the eighth inning with two hits and a game-winning sacrifice fly with one out.
 
SMU took a 1-0 lead in the third when a throwing error extended the frame and allowed a runner to score from third against Connor McCord in his first start of the season. The southpaw went 4 2/3 innings allowing an unearned run on two hits with four strikeouts in a no-decision.
 
Western Oregon responded with the equalizing run in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 1-1. Koty Fallon led off the inning getting plunked by a pitch and moved up two bases on a sacrifice bunt from Nygaard and a groundout from Justin Wakem. With two down, Jay Leverett went the opposite way for a RBI single down the right field line.
 
The hard-luck loss goes to Kade Mechals, who drops to 1-1. The freshman reliever struck out six over three frames while allowing a run on three hits.
 
NOTES
- After outhitting the Saints in game one, 12-4, each team had five hits in the nightcap.
 
- Pradere led the Wolves offense going 4-for-8 on the day while Leach paced the team with three RBI.
 
NEXT UP
Western Oregon completes their four-game series with the Saints on Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. PDT at Ravensdale Park.