Box Score 1 MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon baseball team rallied late for a 6-5 win over Central Washington University in game one of a scheduled doubleheader before game two was suspended due to rain in the top of the seventh with the Wolves leading 5-1 and three outs from the win.
On a day where rain played a large factor on both sides of the baseball, Western Oregon (19-10, 16-10 GNAC) rode solid outings from two atypical starting pitchers to their Friday success.
Connor McCord made his second start of the season, setting a new season-high in innings pitched. The lefty went 7.2 innings, allowing five unearned runs, four hits, striking out eight and not issuing a walk. He was left without a decision as he left in a 5-5 tie.
The Wolves jumped out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Griffey Halle singled to score
Patrick Chung and
Collin Runge and make it a 2-0 WOU advantage.
Central Washington (14-21, 11-17 GNAC) bounced back to tie the game with a pair of their own runs in the second. Robert Ball singled in two runs to tie the game, a score that would hold until the sixth.
McCord retired 10 consecutive batters after the second-inning hiccup, retiring the side in order in five of his eight innings on the hill.
The Wildcats took their first lead with three runs in the top of the sixth, capitalizing on an error reach to lead off the frame. Yi-Fan Pan doubled for the second time in the game to score two. Pan had just two total extra-base hits on the season before Friday when he doubled twice in game one.
Trailing 5-2, the Wolves overcame the late deficit with scoring in three consecutive innings.
Thomas Ahlstrom singled up the middle in the sixth to score
Jared McDonald to get them within one immediately following CWU's three-run inning.
Tied at 5-5 going to the bottom of the eighth, Halle surprised the crowd by tagging up at third on a popup into shallow right field. With the ball arriving just before him off a strong throw from the second baseman, Halle made a strategic slide to the right of the plate, sweeping in behind the catcher to beat out the tag and put the Wolves up for good.
Halle was the only WOU player to finish with multiple hits in game one, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored and a walk.
Cam Walker (2-0) tossed the last 1.1 innings of shutout work to earn the win.
Runge finished game one 1-for-2 with three runs scored and two walks. Combined on the day, he accrued five runs, three RBI, three walks and two stolen bases.
Game two was plagued by rain from the beginning. That would show in the pitching totals as 14 total walks were allowed between the two teams with an inning left to be played at the conclusion of the day Friday.
Kolbe Bales made his first collegiate start, coming just shy of matching his season-high in innings pitched. The sophomore allowed just one run on three hits, walking one and striking out two in the outing.
Both sides plated a run in the third and took a 1-1 tie into the bottom of the fifth. That's where the Wolves created their spread, scoring two runs in both the fifth and sixth. Three wild pitches helped WOU bring in two runs in the fifth and Runge's two-RBI single stretched that lead out the following inning.
Play was halted two batters into the top of the seventh inning due to rain with the Wolves three outs away from the win.
Play will continue at 11:30 a.m. PDT on Saturday, April 20 to be followed by the originally scheduled doubleheader at WOU Baseball Field.
