ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Eastern Oregon traveled to Central Washington University for a midweek nonconference matchup, falling 15-14 in a back-and-forth battle Tuesday afternoon.
Central Washington struck early, holding Eastern scoreless in the opening frame before putting up six runs on five hits and three free passes in the bottom of the first.
The Mountaineers answered in the second, plating four runs to cut the deficit to 6-4.
Kai Brown drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a double from
Lucas Perez to get Eastern on the board. With the bases loaded, a Wildcat error brought in another run, and
Jake Sauceda followed with a two-RBI single to cap the inning. Central added one run in the bottom half on an RBI double to make it 7-4.
After the Wildcats extended their lead to 8-4 with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, Eastern responded again.
Greyson McDaniel led off the inning with a home run to right-center, sparking a three-run frame. A combination of a double, an error, and productive outs helped the Mounties pull within one at 8-7.
Central Washington continued to produce offensively, adding two runs in the fifth on a two-out RBI double to push the lead to 10-7. Eastern stayed within striking distance and broke through in the seventh, capitalizing on two Wildcat errors before
Andrew Demianew delivered a clutch three-RBI triple to tie the game at 10-10.
Both teams had chances late, but Eastern broke through in the eighth. Three walks loaded the bases, followed by another walk to bring in the go-ahead run.
Brayden Macy added an RBI single, and a wild pitch extended the Mountaineers' lead to 14-10.
Central Washington answered in the bottom half with a two-run home run and an RBI single to cut the deficit to 14-13. After Eastern was limited to one hit in the ninth, the Wildcats completed the comeback. A hit-by-pitch, followed by three consecutive singles, tied the game before a walk-off RBI single secured the 15-14 victory.
Eastern Oregon utilized multiple arms on the mound, with
Nolan Bentley (0-1) taking the loss. Central Washington also went deep into its bullpen, with Drake Anderson (3-1) earning the win.
Up Next
Eastern Oregon returns to conference play this weekend, traveling to Klamath Falls to face Oregon Tech on Saturday, March 28. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
