SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth pulled out a late-inning comeback to win the first game, but visiting Central Washington held off a Pirate rally in the second game, leading to a split of the non-conference baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Merkel Field.

Whitworth, recognizing its six seniors prior to the start of today's games, finishes the season with a 14-25 record. The NCAA DII Wildcats are now 26-18 with one more week left in the regular season.

Whiteside singled home the winning run

Game 1: Whitworth 8, Central 7 - Box Score
Jon Whiteside's single through a drawn-in infield in the bottom of the ninth inning drove in Kyle Richardson with the winning run as the Pirates rallied with three tallies in the final two innings to defeat the Wildcats.

Joel Tampien and J.J. Jones, both seniors recognized before the game, each drove in a pair of runs to lead the Bucs. Jamie Nilsen drove in three for CWU, while A.J. Gosney and Tyler Farrington each had three hits.

Nilsen led off the game with a home run, then Tyler Scoggin doubled home another run for an early 2-0 lead for Central.

But the Pirates rallied for five runs in the bottom of the second. Jones drove in two with a hard single off of the wall in right field. Richardson bunted home another run before the Pirates scored again on an error and a ground out for a 5-2 lead.

Central got an unearned run back in the third, then tied the game in the fourth on Nilsen's two-out, two-run single. The Wildcats took a 7-5 lead in the seventh when Dean Tomlinson came off of the bench to hit his third home run of the season, a two-run shot.

But Tampien tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a two run homer of his own, his team-leading sixth of the year.

Richardson was hit by a pitch leading off the ninth inning to start the Pirate rally. After a sacrifice, Van Lierman was intentionally walked. A passed ball moved both runners up one base and Whiteside sent a ball through the middle for the winning hit.

Chad Flett (5-3) went the distance to earn the win on the mound for the Pirates. He allowed six earned runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts and three walks. Mike Morris (2-2) took the loss in relief for CWU, pitching the ninth after Jordan Moore went eight innings and gave up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

Zimmerman pitched well in his final outing

Game 2: Central 5, Whitworth 4 - Box Score
The Wildcats built a 5-0 lead then held on to win 5-4 in a seven inning contest.

Central scored two runs in the second inning on Kevin Walkenhauer's first home run of the season. The Wildcats made it 3-0 in the third when Gosney scored on a ground out to short stop.

Central got runners to second and third with nobody out in the fifth. Nilsen scored on a balk and Gosney scored on an error at third base to give CWU a 5-0 lead.

The lead seemed safe behind Wildcat ace pitcher Tyler Levin. But Whitworth got to Levin for four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Richardson drove in the first run before Van Lierman, another senior playing his final game, doubled down the right field line with the bases loaded, bringing in two more runs. Whiteside followed with a single to short stop that brought home the final run. Levin induced a double play to get out of the inning.

Levin allowed a lead off double in the sixth, but left Dan Ramsey stranded at second, then retired the side in the seventh to improve to 10-2. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and no walks.

Brandon Zimmerman (3-7) pitched a solid complete game for the Bucs. He allowed only four earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and no walks. It was Zimmerman's final game as a Pirate as well.