ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Whitworth Pirates split a pair of high-scoring games at Central Washington on Sunday in a non-conference baseball doubleheader. The Pirates won the opener 17-13 while the Wildcats took the nightcap 13-5 to win the series 3-1.
Whitworth is now 23-14 and the Pirates will conclude the regular season next weekend at Whitman with a chance to share the 2025 Northwest Conference title if the Pirates (13-8 NWC) can sweep the Blues. Whitworth needs only one win to clinch a spot in the NWC tournament.
The NCAA Div. II Wildcats are now 21-21 after taking three of four in the series from the Bucs.
Game 1: Whitworth 17, CWU 13
The Pirates scored seven runs in the top of the eighth inning to gain enough breathing room to hold off the Wildcats in the opener.
The teams traded leads early as Whitworth scored three in the second and two in the third to go ahead 5-2 before CWU scored four in the bottom of the third to take a 6-5 lead. The Pirates answered with three more in the fourth and one in the fifth to go up 9-6. The Wildcats scored one in the sixth and two in the seventh to tie the game 9-9.
Whitworth scored seven runs in the eighth by sending ten batters to the plate. Two of the runs came across on bases-loaded walks from Junior Garcia and Kevin Corder. After a pitching change, Dominic Giusti had a two-run single and Spencer Shipman followed with a two-run home run.
After Andrew Sharp hit a two-run homer for CWU in the bottom of the eighth, Corder added an RBI single in the top of the ninth. The Wildcats' final runs came on Ben Leid's two-run single in the bottom of the ninth with two outs before Sharp fouled out to end the game.
Caleb Gray finished 3-6 with three RBIs, including his team-leading 12th home run of the season. Shipman went 3-5 from the leadoff spot with three RBIs. Brock Molenda finished 4 for 5 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Giusti had three hits and drove in a team-high four runs.
Quentin O'Connor started on the mound for the Pirates and allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks in three innings. Luke Stutesman (2-1) got the win in relief after going 4.2 innings and giving up five runs on five hits. Tyler Disch (two runs, one earned on four hits) pitched the final 1.1 innings.
Logan Pierce started for CWU and was tagged for eight runs on ten hits in 3.2 innings. Five pitchers followed in relief. Kaden Haffner (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs on three hits and two walks in only 0.1 innings of work.
Game 2 – CWU 13, Whitworth 5
The Wildcats scored in every at-bat but the fifth inning to win the scheduled seven-inning finale.
Central used a four-run third inning to go ahead 7-2 and added two more in the fourth to lead 9-2.
The Pirates got back within 9-5 in the top of the sixth, thanks to an error at shortstop that allowed Cole Weiland to score, an RBI single by Austin Paul and a sacrifice fly from Ty Komoda.
The Wildcats put the game out of reach with four more in the bottom of the sixth, including a solo home run by Leid.
Reed Gunnett hit a solo shot in the third and was one of three Pirates with two hits in the game. Paul also had two hits, as did Henry Douglas.
Rylen Blair (1-2) started on the mound for Whitworth and took the loss after giving up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and a walk in 2.1 innings. Three Pirates followed in relief, with Tyler VanCise (one run on two hits) tossing two solid innings.
Drake Anderson (1-0) got his first win of the season for CWU after allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk over the first six innings. He struck out six Pirates. Luke VanGoedert threw a scoreless seventh.
