Central Washington sweeps Wenatchee Valley to remain undefeated

MOSES LAKE - Jason Cole was nervous. It was his first time pitching with the Spuds and he was on to close Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Wenatchee Valley Apple Packers.

MOSES LAKE - Jason Cole was nervous.

It was his first time pitching with the Spuds and he was on to close Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Wenatchee Valley Apple Packers.

First pitch: ball one. Second pitch: ball two.

The 2-0 count prompted a visit from head coach Jameson Lange. His words were simple.

"I just went out and told him relax," he said. "He's tense, he's tight, he's just trying to do too much. I said pitch with the lead. You're pitching to contact and using your defense and he did a great job. I think we potentially found our close so that was a good surprise."

From that point forward, Cole retired the said in order with three straight fly outs, earning the save in a 7-4 win.

Central Washington also won the opener 5-4 on a squeeze play in the 10th inning, completing its first comeback of the day.

"With this pesky group that we have, I think the kids have a good understanding that wherever we're at in the ball game the game's not over," Lange said. "I think they understand it's a seven inning game and that we're going to have opportunities if we play our style of baseball.

"With the way that we run and they way we put the ball in play and put the pressure on the defense, I think the kids understand that it's not over until the final pitch of the seventh."

In temperatures nearing 100 degrees, Wenatchee Valley took a 1-0 lead in the first inning before Central Washington responded in the home half with three runs.

Tyson Karstetter hit a two-run triple to center field and Blake Springer drove in a run on a sacrifice fly ball.

The Apple Packers tied the game, 3-3, in the third inning and pulled ahead 4-3 in the sixth after a poor defensive sequence from the Spuds.

However, Springer was able to score on a throwing error in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game again.

Chase Tunstall pitched a workmanlike nine innings for the Spuds in scorching heat, allowing Lange to save his bullpen for Game 2.

"It's harder because you get more tired, but I had the mentality of keeping the team right where it was at," he said. "That way we had the chance to walk it off and win the game with just one run."

Mercifully, the Spuds ended Game 1 on a squeeze bunt in the 10th.

In the nightcap, the Apple Packers jumped on Cade Tunstall, scoring three runs in the first inning.

Cade Tunstall answered with three scoreless innings, which allowed the Spuds to chip away at the lead and tie the game and take the lead in the fourth inning.

Trailing 3-2, the Spuds scored three in the fourth to take a 5-3 lead.

Jaime Vela added a RBI single in the seventh and Karstetter drove in the final insurance run on another successful squeeze bunt.