CU's Steven Taft picthed into the eighth against the Wolves on Tuesday.
Western Oregon Nips Concordia 3-2
MONMOUTH, Ore.—A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth was the difference maker as Western Oregon defeated Concordia 3-2 in non-conference baseball action on Tuesday at WOU Field.
With the result, WOU improved to 26-10 on the year while the Cavs fell to 19-27.
The Wolves struck first with a single run in the third, but the visiting Cavaliers would respond with two in the top of the fourth to take the lead. Brady Miletich opened the frame with a single to left-center field and was immediately moved to second on a successful sacrifice by Ben Lanier. Consecutive walks and an error by the WOU shortstop allowed Miletich and Brad Himes to score.
A small-ball score from the Wolves tied the score in the bottom of the fifth; eventually scoring on a single by Cody Reeves after a walk and a pair of bunts moved the runners over. WOU would get their final run in the eighth when a lead-off walk generated the go-ahead score on a sacrifice fly from Trevor Coursey.
The Cavs connected on three straight fly balls to the outfield in the ninth but watched the trio of shots harmlessly find an outfielder’s glove to end the game 3-2.
Rye Phillips picked up the win in a single inning of work on the mound for the Wolves, giving up one hit while pitching the eighth. CU starter Steven Taft went 7.1 innings, allowing five hits and the three runs while striking out two. Jarrod Castrejon recorded the final two outs for CU.
The Cavs return to action when they take to the road for a three-game series against Lewis-Clark State beginning on April 23.