ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Whitworth dropped a pair of close games against NCAA Division II Central Washington in a non-conference baseball doubleheader on Saturday at the CWU Baseball Field. The Wildcats won the opener 7-5 and walked off the nightcap 10-9 in seven innings.
The Pirates fell to 22-13 overall while CWU improved to 21-21. The teams will complete the four-game set with another 9/7 doubleheader on Sunday.
Game 1 – CWU 7, Whitworth 5
Baba Varner and Justin Birch each hit two-run home runs to lift the Wildcats to a win in the opener.
Kyle Memarian's RBI single in the top of the first gave the Pirates an early lead. Carson Coffield was able to score a second run from third base when Memarian got himself caught in a run-down on a steal attempt of second base.
Ben Leid tied the game for CWU in the bottom of the first with a two-run single. The Wildcats added three in the third, two coming on Varner's two-run shot. Birch's two run homer came in the fourth and increased the Pirates' deficit to 7-2.
Whitworth got three back in the top of the eighth. Dominic Giusti had an RBI double and Caleb Gray drove in two runs with his own double. Memarian had a lead-off triple in the top of the ninth but the Pirates could not get him home.
Mason Burkhardt pitched five strong innings in relief of starter AJ Woodward (5-2). Burkhardt allowed only the Birch home run and five total hits in five innings of work.
Kellen Berg (1-1) got the win in relief for CWU while Gabe Bustamante got the final four outs to get his first save.
Game 2 – CWU 10, Whitworth 9
Brandham Ponce's single in the bottom of the seventh scored Logan Blank with the winning run, ending a see-saw battle between the teams.
The Pirates led 3-0, fell behind 6-3, went back in front 9-7 before losing in walk-off fashion.
Brock Molenda scored the first run on a passed ball before Ty Quiggle singled to drive in Spencer Shipman in the top of the second. Molenda added a sacrifice fly in the third.
CWU scored six in the bottom of the third, Birch's two-run single the big blow. The Wildcats made it 7-3 in the fourth on Varner's second home run of the day.
Whitworth got within one run in the top of the fifth. Molenda homered with two outs, sparking a rally that included RBI singles by Quiggle and Cole Weiland. Whitworth got three more in the top of the sixth when Molenda tripled home two runs and scored on a wild pitch for a 9-7 lead.
Leid's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth pulled CWU within one run. He later scored on a ground out to first base to tie the game.
Whitworth went down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh. Ponce came up with two on and one out and got a single through the left side of the infield that drove in Blank.
Dylan Huntsman started on the mound for the Bucs and allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks in 2.2 innings. Nathaniel Kurano was solid in relief, giving up only a solo home run in 2.1 innings of work. Seth Mahler (2-2) took the loss after CWU scored three runs on six hits in his 1.1 innings.
Jonathan Garza started and went four innings for the Wildcats, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks. Joe Rajo was on the hook after allowing five runs on five hits in one inning. Garet Hagy (2-2) got the win after giving up one run on one hit in his two innings of work.
