Wolves improve win-streak to 15
Wolves are currently ranked No. 1 in the West Region
Ty Brack
Western's baseball team-ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II West Region-continued its push toward a second-straight regional finals appearance with a four-game sweep of conference rival Central Washington last weekend on April 29 and 30.
The Wolves improved to 35-13 overall and 17-3 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) play while also upping their win-streak to 15 with the completion of the sweep, thanks in large part to an offense flowing in full force.
Over the weekend Western outscored the Wildcats 43-11 and averaged 13 hits per game for the series.
Junior catcher Ivan Munoz had 10 RBI for the series, five of which came from his four-hit, two-homerun performance in the Wolves' 13-8 come-from-behind victory in Saturday's second game. Senior pitcher/second basemen Matt Skundrick hit a homerun in that game as well, as he also did in Western's 12-1 first-game hammering of the Wildcats.
Skundrick then provided the game two heroics in Sunday's second contest by knocking home both of the squad's runs in a 2-0 win. Sunday's first game displayed 17 hits off Wolf bats, including three more from Munoz and three from junior outfielder Joe McCormick.
The Wolves' pitching staff also put together an outstanding weekend.
Junior ace Nick Waechter struck out six, walked none and allowed just five hits in a complete game that moved his record to a perfect 10-0 this season in Saturday's first game; senior Andrew Renyer came out of the bullpen to notch his sixth win of season in the second game. In addition to his work with the aluminum, Skundrick hurled seven innings and struck out seven for his fourth win in Sunday's game one; junior Sam Huston fanned eight in a two-hit shutout to cap the series.
With just four games left in the regular season, the Wolves have already clinched the GNAC championship for a sixth consecutive year. They will play those four remaining games on Saturday and Sunday, May 6 and 7, at home against St. Martin's. The doubleheader on Saturday begins at 1 p.m., while Sunday's games kick off at noon.
Should Western keep a top-four ranking in the West Region, the team will head back to the regionals, where the Wolves lost in the championship game last May to Chico State. If the squad finishes the season ranked No. 1 in the West, it will host the regional tournament May 18-21.