Western Oregon Takes Two From NNU

Dylan Bruck had three of Western Oregon's 19 hits in the game.

Salem-News.com SPORTS

NAMPA, Idaho - Western Oregon went two very different paths to win a pair of baseball games over Northwest Nazarene on Friday night at Elmer Vail Field in Nampa, 10-9 and 5-0.

With the victories, the Wolves moved to 14-11 on the season and to 3-3 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Crusaders dropped to 11-8 overall and to 1-5 in the GNAC. The two teams will wrap up the four-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader that will start at noon mountain time.

Ryan Lewis was Western's star in the 10-9 (10 inning) win in game one. Lewis went 4-for-5, drove in five runs and stole two bases in WOU's victory, which included the go-ahead single in the top of the tenth inning.

WOU jumped out to an 8-1 lead after scoring six runs in the third inning, thanks in part to Lewis' three-run double. The Wolves had six hits in the inning.

But NNU came back with four runs in the fourth and four more in the eighth to tie it at 9-9. In the eighth, the Crusaders used five hits and used two WOU errors to move into the deadlock. The Wolves then scored the winning run in the top of the tenth when Lewis drove home JJ Mascolo, who had led off the inning with a single. Ben Shivers, who pitched three innings of relief to get the win, shut down the Crusaders in order in the bottom of the tenth.

Dylan Bruck had three of Western Oregon's 19 hits in the game, while Taylor Mieras, Eric Renander, Drew Humphrey and Cesar Lopez all had two hits each. Zach Aakhus led NNU with three hits in the game.

In the night game, WOU's Mike Ward pitched a seven-inning complete game shutout, allowing only three hits while not walking a batter and fanning seven. Meanwhile the Wolves raked out nine hits, including three more by Humphrey, two more by Bruck and two by Tyson Nelson. Renander added a home run to the offensive attack.

Ward moved to 3-1 on the season with the win.

Source: WOU Athletics

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