FRESNO, Calif. – The Western Oregon University baseball team held a lead into the final innings when Fresno Pacific was able to tie the game in the seventh and push across the go-ahead run in the eighth for the 6-5 victory on Saturday to conclude the four-game series.
WOU (2-2) came out strong plating two runs in the first inning. Derek Maiben opened the frame reaching on an error. Jacob Maiben then walked to put runners at first and second. An out followed before Spencer Weston singled up the middle to bring in the first run of the game. Jacob Maiben moved to third on a fly out and then scored on a passed ball to give WOU the 2-0 lead.
Fresno Pacific (2-2) came right back in the home half getting three runs to take a 3-2 lead.
The Wolves tied the game in the third. Derek Maiben singled and moved to second on a single by twin brother Jacob Maiben. A fly out moved Derek Maiben to third and then he came home on a sacrifice fly to center by Weston to even the score at three.
In the fifth, WOU regained the lead with a two-out rally. With Weston on second following a double, Anthony Zellner later drove him in with a single to right for the 4-3 lead.
FPU answered in the home half to tie the game back up at four.
In the sixth, Sebastian Morales led off with a double down the left field line. He then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Derek Maiben for the 5-4 lead.
The Sunbirds then came through with runs in the seventh and eighth to take the lead. WOU threatened in the seventh loading the bases, but a pop out, strikeout and fly out ended the inning. In the home half, FPU tied the game at five. In the eighth, a two-out RBI single gave Fresno Pacific the lead at 6-5.
WOU got a runner on in the ninth, but weren't able to get the tying run home.
Both teams had nine hits, while the Sunbirds had the only three errors.
Zellner led the way with three hits, while Jacob Maiben and Weston tallied two hits apiece. Weston drove in two runs. On the mound, Joe Kinsky started and went the first inning allowing three earned runs. Sebasten Boivin was the next in for the Wolves and worked three shutout innings, tallying a pair of strikeouts. Dwayne Angebrant, Michael Moore, Chris Hardin and Parker Johnson went the rest of the way. Moore went 2.1 innings allowing just one earned run, while Hardin went 1.1 allowing one earned run to end up with the loss (0-1). Johnson finished the eighth.
Khalid Johnson and Andrue Lackey led Fresno Pacific with two hits apiece, while six players drove in a run. Matt Stearns started for the Sunbirds going the first 4.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) to take the no decision. After Anthony Torres worked a third of an inning and allowed a run, the combination of Jaylen Rodriguez, Syler Pillsbury and Gino Helmuth went four innings and didn't allow a run, with Helmuth going the final three innings to get the win (1-0).
WOU will return right back to California this coming week when they will play Stanislaus State in Turlock opening a four-game series on Friday beginning at 2 p.m.
