Game One
Game Two

NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Oregon University baseball team defeated Northwest Nazarene University 6-1 and 5-1 on Friday night in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference twinbill at Vail Field on the NNU campus.

The Wolves (15-9, 8-2 GNAC) out hit the Crusaders (21-9, 6-8 GNAC) 15 to 7 in the opener and 6 to 2 in the nightcap.

WOU's Michael Ward improved to 4-2 in winning game one scattering the seven hits over eight innings.  Three of NNU's hits came from Ryan Udy (3 for 4) and two from Ryan VanBeek (2 for 3, 1 RBI).

J.T. Brodrick fell to 5-2 with the loss for the Crusaders.

Six Wolves finished with two hits each, highlighted by Bo Folkinga, Michael Chiarelli, Miles Kizer, and Eric Copenhagen, who also each plated one RBI.  Kizer hit his first home run of the year in the eighth, a solo shot to right field.

The pitchers took control for the first four innings of game two, shutting down the bats and allowing just one hit for each team.  However WOU's Daniel Dillard ended the drought with the game-winning runs in the fifth, a grand-slam home run off NNU starter Patrick Patterson. 

Patterson (1-1) surrendered a lead-off double to Copenhagen in the fifth, walked Aaron Headrick and would see Josh Solemsaas reach on a bunt single, setting the table for Dillard.  The Wolves would add one more in the sixth on Griffin Boyd's solo home run to left field, his first of the year, and the Crusaders avoided the shutout in the seventh, rallying to score on a Udy ground ball that brought VanBeek to the plate.

Grady Wook improved to 2-4 for Western Oregon with the complete-game two-hitter.

VanBeek and Logan Parker each singled for the Crusaders, while Solemsaas (2 for 4) led the Wolves.

The teams will return for a doubleheader at Noon on Saturday.