POSTGAME INTERVIEW WITH CAM WALKER

PORTLAND, Ore. – The top-seeded Western Oregon baseball team backed up a record-breaking complete game from junior pitcher Cam Walker to knock off fourth-seed Montana State Billings, 4-2, on the first day of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Championships Wednesday nights. With the win, the Wolves improve to 29-15 overall and advance to the winner's bracket to face Central Washington at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday at Porter Park.
 
Walker was brilliant on the hill for Western Oregon, tossing nine innings while striking out 10, a career high and a record for any single game in GNAC Championship history. Walker surpassed former Wolves AJ Burke and Spenser Watkins, who each had nine strikeouts in a separate tournament game during the 2013 season.
 
"Cam was special tonight," WOU head coach Kellen Walker said. "He had a feel for multiple pitches and really enjoyed competing against a very offensive club."
 
Western Oregon got on the board in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. Joey Crunkilton drew a one-out walk and advanced 90 feet after a Nyles Nygaard single to left field. With two outs, Garrett Anderson bounced the first pitch he saw from MSUB starting pitcher Cody Cooper back up the middle, scoring Crunkilton.
 
Walker's only blemish came in the top of the fourth as the Yellowjackets (23-28) cashed in a two-out hit from Jalen Garcia with a two-run home run to left field by Ryan Myers for a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Wolves did not waste any time in regaining the lead. Jacob Martinez drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth inning. After he advanced to second on a wild pitch, Crunkilton turned on a Cooper breaking ball with a 2-1 count blasting the go-ahead two-run home run, his fourth of the year.
 
"Cooper was really good tonight like he usually is," Coach Walker said. "Crunk got to one of the few mistakes that Cooper made and put a great swing on it."
 
Western Oregon added a run later in the inning via two walks and two wild pitches preceding a line drive sacrifice off the bat of Forrest Garcia to center field that plated Justin Wakem.
 
MSUB was held to two more base runners the rest of the night on singles in the sixth and ninth innings against Walker, who picked up his record-breaking strikeout to bring the eighth inning to a close.
 
Walker picked up his second consecutive victory of the season (2-0), scattering four hits in his first WOU complete-game effort. Cooper fell to 2-8 allowing the four WOU runs on five hits while fanning out seven to become the MSUB career leader in strikeouts with 237.
 
Western Oregon became the first team to win 10 games in the GNAC Baseball Championship, improving to 10-6 all-time. The Wolves also improved to 4-1 against MSUB in the postseason and 8-1 in competition with the Yellowjackets this year.
 
The Wolves will battle the Wildcats of CWU as the designated visiting team. Central Washington advanced to the winner's bracket with a 7-6 victory over Northwest Nazarene on Wednesday.