NEWBERG, Ore. – The Western Oregon baseball team produced a pair of one-run victories Monday, 4-3 and 3-2 in eight innings, to notch a doubleheader sweep over Saint Martin's in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference set at the Morse Athletic Complex on the campus of George Fox University.
 
The Wolves improve to 15-8 overall and 14-5 in GNAC action. The Saints fall to 10-18 on the year and 7-13 in league play.
 
Freshman Connor McCord went 4 for 8 with three RBI on the day and pitched six innings in the doubleheader opener. Senior catcher Boog Leach and junior outfielder Cody Dykstra each registered multi-hit games while junior infielder Nyles Nygaard blasted his first home run as a member of the Wolves.
 
WOU will hit the road for the next six games starting with a four-game road trip at Montana State Billings beginning Friday, April 14.
 
GAME ONE: Western Oregon 4, Saint Martin's 3
The Saints scored in the second inning after McCord loaded the bases with three walks. A chopper hit to third base by Zach Raczok led to a force play by Nygaard, but the lead runner Adam Eskil scored on the play for a 1-0 lead.
 
Down by a run, the Wolves put together a strong two-out rally to take their first lead of the game. Nygaard fouled away five straight pitches from SMU starter Aaron Shoup before squaring one up and sending the ball over the 385-mark in dead center field to tie the game. The rally continued when Leach singled on the next pitch and Dykstra walked. Junior shortstop Garrett Anderson sent the first pitch he saw into left field for a RBI single plating Leach and moving Dykstra to third. The Saints were able to get Anderson caught in a rundown on the play between first and second, but when second baseman Shaan Kothari lost the ball in his diving attempt to tag out Anderson, Dykstra sprinted home for the third run of the inning.
 
The WOU lead held until the seventh inning after McCord struck out six in his start on the hill. In the seventh, Saint Martin's picked up RBI single from Steven Sordahl and Eskil to tie the game at 3-2.
 
In the bottom half of the inning, senior outfielder Brock Pradere drew a five-pitch walk against SMU reliever Patrick Hoeper. Pradere advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt from junior Jay Leverett and reached third on a straight steal. Against Daniel Hare, McCord lined a sharp single into right-center field with the go-ahead RBI.
 
Junior reliever Jake Simmons struck out two in a perfect eighth inning to earn his first win of the year after freshman Kade Mechals retired the side in order for his fourth save.
 
Despite facing just one batter and surrendering a walk, Hoeper suffered the loss to drop to 1-1.
 
GAME TWO – Western Oregon 3, Saint Martin's 2 (8 innings)
The Wolves took the lead in Monday's second game in the third inning when McCord doubled home a pair with two outs for a 2-0 lead.
 
The Saints cut the lead in half in the next half inning after Alec Hagerman's leadoff double was rewarded with a RBI single from Sordahl. Junior pitcher Cam Walker bounced back immediately following the SMU run by inducing a ground ball double play and getting a line out to maintain the lead for Western Oregon. Walker, making his first start, went five innings allowing one run on four hits while striking out five.
 
Senior pitcher Trey Smith threw a 1-2-3 inning in the SMU sixth to keep the Wolves ahead by a run while giving Mechals another chance at a save. With the very first pitch of the top of the seventh, Eskil turned on a Mechals fastball and homered to left field to tie the game. Mechals would allow another single, but strike out two to keep the game tied. The Wolves couldn't capitalize on getting Dykstra to third with two out in the bottom of the frame.
 
Senior pitcher Elias Bedolla worked through a leadoff infield single by Isaac Hegamin in the eighth inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved Hegamin to second, Bedolla made a heads-up play on a comebacker off the bat of Sordahl by firing back to second and nab Hegamin off the bag. The frame ended when sophomore catcher Justin Wakem threw out Sordahl trying to steal second.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, junior outfielder Jacob Martinez singled to the opposite field on the first pitch. Two pitches later, senior designated hitter Joey Crunkilton lined a single into left field, advancing Martinez to third. As Crunkilton rounded first, SMU's Hagerman tried to throw behind him at first base. His attempt was offline and skipped near foul territory, giving Martinez enough time to score from third with a quick slide at home to end the game.
 
Bedolla evened his record to 3-3 for the season tossing a scoreless relief frame. SMU's Mickey Walker pitched four innings in his first relief appearance of the year, but took the loss to drop to 2-4.