Cole Pittman went 2 for 4 on Tuesday to up his batting average to a team-leading .346.
Wolves even season series with 12-6 win at CU
PORTLAND, Ore. – Becoming just the second team to hit two home runs in the same game at the spacious Porter Park, Western Oregon downed Concordia 12-6 in a non-conference baseball game on Tuesday afternoon.
Western Oregon (19-11), ranked eighth in the NCBWA NCAA DII West Region poll, scored all 12 runs in the second through fifth innings to exact revenge on the Cavs after falling to CU 6-3 in Monmouth, Ore., earlier in the season.
Concordia will return to NAIA West play this weekend with a four-game homestand against Corban University. Opening pitch for a single game on Friday is set for 2 p.m. while a Saturday doubleheader is also scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
Before the WOU onslaught, Concordia (17-10) nearly took the lead in the bottom of the first by loading the bases with eth use of a pair of walks and a hit batter. Western Oregon starter Jesse Pratt, however, wiggled out of the self-created jam with a grounder to second.
Michael Sherwin's first home run of the season opened the scoring in the top of the second inning for the Wolves. The junior's shot over the left-field fence scored two runs while WOU added three runs in the third inning.
Parker Miles hit a triple to left field that brought in Chris Bradshaw in the third before Garrett Harpole the team's second dinger of the day to expand the WOU lead to 6-0.
In the fourth, Miles' second triple of the day drove in two additional runners. Leading 8-0, the Wolves tacked on four runs in the fifth inning to close out its account. The first eight, and 11 of the 12, WOU runs were scored with two outs on the board.
Concordia scored a run in the sixth and made a rally attempt with five runs in the bottom of the ninth as the team sent nine batters to the plate. Hunter Nasinic,
Christian Lichtenthaler (Albany, Ore./West Albany H.S.),
Ian Erickson (Astoria, Ore./Astoria H.S.) and
Cole Pittman (Salem, Ore./West Salem H.S.) all recorded RBI in the final frame for the Cavs with Lichtenthaler driving in a pair of runs on a double down the left-field line.
Lichtenthaler was 2 for 5 on the day with two doubles.
Ryan McMonigle (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Kailua H.S. ) was 2 for 3 at the plate with a triple.
Brad Bearden (Hoodsport, Wash./Shelton H.S.) (2-1) lost his first decision on the mound after giving up two earned runs on two hits in the first two innings of the game.
Jesse Pratt (1-0) picked up his first victory of the season for WOU. The junior did not allow a run and gave up only two hits in five innings of work. He struck out two Cavaliers, and threw four walks.