EUGENE, Ore. – The final non-conference game of the regular season finished as a victory for the Western Oregon University baseball team as they picked up the 6-5 road victory at Bushnell on Tuesday. This completes the regular season sweep for WOU against the Beacons having won the 13-4 meeting in Monmouth back on Mar. 22.
WOU (25-15) opened the scoring in the third and quickly moved out to a 5-0 lead following the top of the fourth. Zach Valdez opened the third with a single. Derek Maiben added a single before John Stark doubled in the first run of the game. A throwing error followed on a ball put in play by Sebastian Morales that brought home Derek Maiben for the 2-0 lead.
In the fourth, Levi Cummings started the frame with a walk and moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt. Valdez walked and Justyn Herzog brought in the third run of the game with a double to right-center. Derek Maiben scored Valdez with an RBI groundout to short and after Herzog moved to third on a wild pitch, he came home on a sacrifice fly to center by Stark for the 5-0 lead.
Bushnell (11-34) rallied in the home half of the fourth plating three runs on a hit to trim the lead to two.
WOU pushed the lead back to three in the sixth. Cummings reached on an error to begin the inning and then stole second. He advanced to third on a groundout and came home on an RBI groundout by Herzog for the 6-3 lead.
The Beacons made things interesting in the eighth. A two-run double cut the lead to one and Bushnell had the tying run at third with one out. Michael Moore locked down getting a pop out to short and then a ground ball to short to retire the side.
Chris Hardin closed it out in the ninth working a 1-2-3 inning for the 6-5 victory.
WOU held the 7-5 edge in hits and Bushnell committed the only three errors in the game. Valdez and Herzog led the Wolves with two hits apiece, while Herzog and Stark each drove in a pair of runs. On the mound, Dominic Miller started and worked three scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Joe Kinsky was next and allowed three runs before Curran Mitzel went the next 3.2 innings, allowing no runs to get his first win (1-0) of the season. Moore allowed two runs in the eighth before Hardin worked a scoreless ninth for his third save of the season.
Wilson and Fraser led Bushnell with two hits and Fraser drove in three runs. On the mound, eight pitchers saw time for the Beacons with Knutzen ending up with the loss (1-2) allowing two runs (one earned).
WOU will turn around and face Northwest Nazarene this Friday and Saturday for a big four-game GNAC series beginning with a doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m. at the WOU Baseball Field. The teams will then play another doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. which will also be Senior Day.
