MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Western Oregon baseball team swept Saint Martin's in a Saturday doubleheader, beating the Saints 4-2 in the opener before pulling away for a 13-5 win in game two at the WOU Baseball Field.
WOU (11-16 overall, 4-6 GNAC) got a strong outing from Ayden Holker in the first game and broke open the second with six-run innings in the fourth and sixth. Saint Martin's fell to 9-24 overall and 1-13 in the GNACÂ with the two losses.
Game 1 - Western Oregon 4, Saint Martin's 2
The Wolves grabbed the lead in the first inning and never gave it back.
Robby Shepherd put WOU on the board with an RBI single in the opening frame, and Jason Olsen added a solo home run in the second to make it 2-0. Western Oregon added two more in the fifth when Chris Arce drove in both Benny Nazario and Zane Garvey with a double to left center.
Garvey led the Wolves offensively, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Arce finished 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI, Shepherd went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Olsen finished 1-for-3 with a home run.
Holker earned the win for WOU, allowing five hits and one unearned run in seven innings while striking out eight and walking one.while Josh Johnson picked up the save with a scoreless ninth.
Game 2 - Western Oregon 13, Saint Martin's 5
Western Oregon answered Saint Martin's early push with a big fourth inning, then blew the game open in the sixth.
The Saints led 4-1 in the fourth before WOU responded with six runs in the bottom half. Garvey delivered a two-run single in the inning, Nazario added an RBI single and Shepherd drove in a run as the Wolves took a 7-4 lead.
WOU added six more runs in the sixth. Arce started the surge with an RBI double, Shepherd followed with a two-run triple and Alex Harden added an RBI double. Collin Irwin and Alex Angevine each added sacrifice flies in the inning.
Nazario paced the Wolves by going 3-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI. Garvey finished 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, Arce went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, and Shepherd drove in three runs. Harden went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, while Irwin scored twice and drove in two.
Ben Edwards earned the win in relief for WOU, allowing one hit and one unearned run in 2 2/3 innings.
Western Oregon and Saint Martin's close out the series with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Sunday in Monmouth.
