ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Western Oregon baseball team dropped a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) games to Central Washington on Saturday to finish the series with a split after winning the first two games on Friday. The host Wildcats used big innings late in each game to earn 13-11 and 8-6 victories.
 
The Wolves had their six-game winning streak snapped falling to 25-13 overall and 24-10 in conference play. The Wildcats improved to 28-18 on the season and 22-14 in GNAC action, remaining three games behind the Wolves in the race for the regular-season title.
 
Jacob Martinez tallied five hits on the day, sophomore catcher Justin Wakem had four hits in Saturday's opener and Erick Allegro produced his first three-hit performance of the season.
 
GAME ONE – Central Washington 13, Western Oregon 11
 
Down eight runs entering the final inning of a heavily offensive ballgame, Western Oregon fell two runs shy despite getting the tying run in scoring position. Nyles Nygaard singled and Wakem doubled to left field to start the inning. Koty Fallon pinch hit and grounded out for a RBI in his first action since April 1. Brock Pradere singled to the opposite field for the second run. Jay Leverett scored three more with a home run to left field. Tony Fonzo singled with two outs, bringing in Martinez. The rally fell short with a final strikeout.
 
CWU blasted a pair of homers in a six-run bottom of the eighth inning to balloon their two-run lead into a 13-5 advantage.
 
Early, the Wolves had an early advantage taking a 4-1 lead through three innings. Joey Crunkilton brought Martinez in with the quick equalizer with a single in the second inning. WOU took the lead Martinez and Leverett executed a double steal with Leverett taking home on the play. RBI singles from Nygaard and Wakem closed the scoring.
 
The Wildcats scored four times in four hits in retaking the lead, 5-4, in the fifth inning when a double for Rory Graf-Brennan plated the final two runs.
 
A two-out single from Forrest Garcia in the top of the seventh tied the game for the final time. CWU scored twice in the bottom half of the same frame and used their eighth-inning outburst to produce enough offense for the victory.
 
Jacob Fricke took the loss after three innings of relief work, relinquishing two runs on five hits with three walks. CWU's Micah Richardson improved to 1-1 despite allowing three runs on five hits in his 2 2/3 innings.
 
GAME TWO: Central Washington 8, Western Oregon 6
 
Big innings from both teams in the sixth inning provided the climax of the series finale with Central Washington rebounding from four WOU runs by scoring six of their own.
 
Nygaard doubled in the top half of the fateful inning and advanced home following a Martinez sacrifice bunt and a RBI sacrifice fly from Crunkilton to center field. Five singles followed with runs batted in from Allegro, Boog Leach and Leverett.
 
The Wildcats began their climb immediately with the first pitch in the bottom of the sixth being clubbed over the wall in left field by Jamal Smith. The game-winning hit came off the bat of Dylan Freyre with a two-run double to center.
 
Trey Smith (4-2) was handed the losing decision after 5 1/3 innings of work, allowing eight runs on 14 hits while striking out four. Central Washington's Kyle Blankinship improved to 4-3 tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings at the back end of the game.
 
UP NEXT
 
Western Oregon will make up two final games with Saint Martin's on Tuesday, May 2 in Lacey beginning at 1 p.m. The Wolves are scheduled to close the regular season with a Thursday-Friday (May 4-5) series at home against Northwest Nazarene.