NAMPA, Idaho – A day after falling out of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings, the Western Oregon baseball team reclaimed their spot atop the league sweeping host Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at Vail Field. With their 15-1 and 9-7 (10 innings) wins, the Wolves regained a one-game lead in the GNAC at 11-5 in conference play (12-8 overall). The Crusaders fell to 14-16, 12-8 GNAC after splitting the weekend set with the Wolves.
 
GAME ONE – Western Oregon 15, Northwest Nazarene 1
The Wolves got a quality start in game one Saturday as Brady Miller tossed six scoreless innings, striking out five and walking none. With the offensive support he got from his teammates in the second inning, Miller's record improved to 3-2 on the season.
 
Western Oregon exploded for 11 runs on six hits with two NNU errors to grasp the game's momentum. Jay Leverett began the scoring singling with the bases loaded to plate Boog Leach. Connor McCord, making his first start in the field for WOU this season, and Jacob Martinez each followed with two-run singles to make it a 5-0 lead. Erick Allegro and Brock Pradere later added RBI singles in the big frame.
 
In the fourth, Pradere walked and advanced to third on a Leverett double. Two batters later, McCord's fly ball to center was deep enough for Pradere to tag up from third for a 12-0 lead. WOU added three more runs in the fifth with RBIs from Cody Dykstra, Leach and Pradere to round out the scoring.  
 
Leach led four Western Oregon players with multiple hits going 4 for 4 with two runs scored, one RBI and a walk. McCord brought in three RBI going 1 for 3 with two walks while Pradere crossed home three times.
 
Shawn Domke, Alex Emerson and Kody Kuhlman each tossed an inning of relief combining to allow just two NNU hits.
 
GAME TWO – Western Oregon 9, Northwest Nazarene 7 (10 innings)
With two outs in the top of the 10^th inning, Leverett began a two-out rally reaching after being hit by an inside pitch. With a 1-0 count, Joey Crunkilton pounded a two-run home run to right-center field breaking a 7-7 stalemate as the Wolves went on to earn the series split with the 9-7 victory.
 
Kade Mechals earned the win of the bullpen extending the game into extra frames inducing a ground-ball double play that kept a potential winning run from scoring in the bottom of the seventh. He improved to 2-1 on the year going 2.2 innings allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one. Elias Bedolla, making his first relief appearance of the year, erased an early baserunner he inherited after inducing a double play ball on the first pitch he threw and earned his first save since April 10, 2016, getting a fly ball out to right field.
 
Martinez finished the game with a career-high four RBI going 3 for 6 at the plate. Crunkilton went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and two runs scored while Leverett had a 2 for 3 performance and scored three big runs.
 
UP NEXT
Western Oregon will play a seven-inning game at Concordia on Wednesday (April 5) at 6:30 p.m. to make up a game lost to weather from March 11. Live stats and video from Porter Park will be available on WOUWolves.com/Live.