GNAC POSTGAME WITH TORREAHNO SWEET

PORTLAND, Ore. – The top-seeded Western Oregon University baseball team scored 12 unanswered runs over three late innings to erase a six-run deficit and eventually take down second-seed Central Washington, 13-7, Thursday evening in the winner's bracket game of the 2017 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Championships at Porter Park.
 
The Wolves, now 30-15 on the season, advance to the title game Friday at noon needing one game to claim the tournament title.
 
Western Oregon trailed 7-1 entering the sixth inning and scored twice in the sixth, twice more in the seventh and plated eight big runs in the eighth to snag their second victory of the GNAC Championships. Torreahno Sweet sparked the comeback rally driving in Joey Crunkilton with a double early in the sixth inning. After advancing to third on a foul out to right field, Sweet scored on a RBI infield single from Garrett Anderson to cut the Central Washington  (30-22) lead to 7-3.
 
In the top of the seventh, Nyles Nygaard reached on an error and Sweet kept the inning alive with a two-out single. Justin Wakem swatted a single up the middle on a 0-2 count for the Wolves' first run of the frame. A walk to Erick Allegro loaded the bases and a wild pitch brought in Sweet making it a 7-5 game.
 
Five hits and two CWU errors against five Wildcat pitchers led to WOU's eight-run rally seizing the ultimate momentum of the game. With an out on the board, Jay Leverett and Nygaard each singled while Jacob Martinez walked filling the bags. Crunkilton was walked on four pitches making it a 7-6 game. Against a new pitcher and falling behind 1-2 in the count, Sweet hit a chopper just to the left side of the mound for an infield single that scored Nygaard with the tying run. Wakem followed with another two-strike base hit, bouncing a ball up the middle scoring two go-ahead runs. Anderson earned a RBI being hit by a pitch, Brock Pradere brought in two with a seeing-eye single to right field and Leverett's sacrifice fly to center field capped the rally.
 
"Offensively, we didn't give any at-bats away from the sixth on," WOU head coach Kellen Walker said. "Top to bottom, the lineup really bought into their plan and grinded out AB's the second half of the game against some good arms coming out of the pen for Central Washington."
 
Freshman pitcher Alex Roth kept the Wildcats off the board with four stellar innings. He did not allow a hit against a CWU team that had seven runs on nine hits over the opening five innings. Roth struck out nine batters in the first 11 outs he produced, setting a career-high in the statistic, improving to 3-0.
 
"Roth's outing gave us an opportunity to find a way back into that ballgame," Walker added. "(Connor) McCord bridged the gap and Roth had his best outing of the year."
 
Western Oregon opened the game with a run in the top of the first inning when Martinez singled to left field to score Pradere.
 
CWU went to work in the bottom half scoring three times against WOU starter Trey Smith with a single by Jake Levin and a two-run homer from Conor Plaisance during an afternoon rainstorm. The Wildcats added another three-run frame in the third inning against Smith and produced a run during McCord's appearance in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Smith allowed six runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings earning a no-decision thanks to the WOU comeback. McCord struck out three in 2 1/3 innings while scattering five hits.
 
CWU's Mackenzie Gaul held the Wolves to one run over five frames before being saddled with two more runs in the sixth. For the Wildcats, Tyler Hoefer took the loss after walking Martinez, who represented the go-ahead tally.
 
Western Oregon will face Northwest Nazarene in the GNAC title game on Friday.