Simson Garcia | Sports Editor
After locking the second seed of the GNAC tournament, the playoffs are all but an if for the Wolves baseball team. Another game result in the conference would no longer effect Western’s chances. One team, however, in the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks were vying to fill the final playoff spot, and looked to get past the Wolves for it on May 3 and 4. Western said otherwise, and split the final four games of the season to stall their opponents chances: 9-5, 8-10, 7-14, 8-6. Northwest Nazarene were mathematically eliminated once Concordia won their final two games.
The Wolves got out right from the bat in game one with a six-hit second inning. In the third inning, junior catcher Jared McDonald added to the offense by batting in senior outfielder Jacob Marinez for an 8-0 lead. Western’s offense was active throughout and totaled up 15 hits on the game, and were left on base 14 times. McDonald accumulated four RBI’s in five at-bats.
The same could not be said in the rematch as 11 Wolf players struck out. Five pitchers also struggled especially in the third inning, where the Nighthawks put up an 8-0 thrashing.
Western rebounded in the early part of the third go-round, going up five to nothing by the third inning. Back-to-back homers from infielders Nyles Nygaard, senior, and Connor McCord, sophomore, were the catalyst in the start. Nazarene’s batters, however, produced a 13-1 run. In all, seven Nighthawks had at least one RBI.
The conclusion of the series ended in Western’s favor and with a familiar face; Nygaard and McDonald helped open the first three innings by going up 4-2, but it was first-year designated hitter Spencer Bennion who got the game winning nod after singling in McDonald in the eighth. For Bennion, this comes off after having hit three walk-offs in less than a month.
With all seeds set, the Wolves get Central Washington in the first round of the double elimination 2018 GNAC championships. First pitch is at 11:30 a.m. on May 9. GNAC playoffs will be hosted by Central in Ellensburg, Washington.
Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu
Photo by: wouwolves.com
