ELLENSBURG, Wash.—In the team's fifth walk-off hit of the season, Western Oregon's Griffey Halle sent a ball over the right-field fence in the bottom of the 9th to give the Wolves a 4-3 win over Central Washington in the opening game of the GNAC Championships on Wednesday.
Tied 3-3 and batting with one out, Halle connected on the first offering from Central Washington's Seth Pedersen for his fifth round-tripper of the season.
With the win, Western Oregon (25-20) will play the 12:30 p.m. game on Thursday. The Wolves, the No. 2-seed, will play the winner of tonight's affair between No. 1-seeded MSU Billings and No. 4-seeded Concordia.
WOU has now recorded five walk-off wins since March 31; a span of 40 days.
The Wildcats were the first to score in the game with a single run sent across the plate in the top of the 2nd inning. Reaching on a fielder's choice and advancing on a double by Yi-an Pan, Justin Hampson scored CWU's first run on a passed ball.
With a two-run home half of the inning, the Wolves didn't take long to counter. Jared McDonald initiated the offense by reaching on a wild pitch despite striking out on the play. Nyles Nygaard followed with a walk and Griffey Halle produced a single to load the bases. The Wildcats nearly got out of the jam with a strikeout and an out at the plate, but Cody Dykstra delivered the key swing with a single to left for a 2-1 lead.
The Wolves added a single score in the 3rd with Nygaard doubling to right to score
Jay Leverett.
Central Washington tied the contest in the top of the 6th as GNAC Player of the Year James Smith belted a 2-run shot to right.
Jacob Fricke, Justin Dolezal and Kolbe Bales combined to allow just one baserunner to shut out the Wildcats over the final three innings. The trio struck out five to set up the game-winning home run by Halle.
Connor McCord tossed the first six innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits. McCord struck out six batters in the game, including three in the first inning alone. Striking out seven and walking one in the loss, Pedersen was the lone pitcher for CWU on the day.
WOU outhit Central Washington, 9 to 5.
