Sunday, April 29, 2012

Kirk Lind and Jason Wilson pitched Western Oregon to 10-2 and 5-1 victories Sunday as the Wolves wrapped up their 11th straight GNAC baseball title by sweeping a four-game series with Central Washington at the WOU Baseball Field.

The championship does not bring with it a ticket to the NCAA Division II West Regional playoffs next month as the GNAC does not have an automatic berth.

The Wolves (31-8, 20-2), however, were ranked first in last week's regional poll and are all but assured of qualifying for the four-team regional and have the inside track to host.

Lind allowed five hits in six hits in winning his fifth game in seven decisions. Central Washington's lone runs came in the fourth on a two-run home run by shortstop Brady Kincannon.

Kincannon had three of CWU's seven hits. Catcher Kyle Blackwell led the Wolf 13-hit attack with three safeties. Brady Locker, Blake Miller, Bo Folkinga and Griff Boyd had two each.

In the second game, Jason Wilson spun a five-hitter allowing only a seventh-inning run. CWU catcher Kyle Sani led off the final inning with a triple and scored on a single by DH David Leid.

WOU managed just five hits off CWU's Jason Lotzer, but had three of them during a three-run second including RBI singles by AJ Royal and Boyd.

Matt Nylen then keyed a two-run fourth with a double. Western's other two runs came on steals of home in the second by Boyd and in the fourth by Royal. In all, WOU swiped seven bases in the game.

Folkinga was hitless in the second game, bring a halt to his 15-game hitting streak. The two losses dropped the Wildcats to 16-26 on the season, including 8-16 in the conference.