TURLOCK, Calif. — Stan State battled in both games of Saturday's doubleheader, highlighted by strong pitching performances and timely late offense, but Western Oregon edged the Warriors 5-1 and 3-2 at Warrior Baseball Field.

The pair of closely contested losses moves Stan State to 8-5 overall, while the Wolves improve to 5-6.

Game One: Western Oregon 5, Stan State 1

The opener was competitive early as Payton Hawkinson set the tone on the mound. The right-hander struck out seven over five innings and limited Western Oregon to just three hits.

After three scoreless frames, the Wolves manufactured a run in the fourth and added two in the fifth, using a Stan State error to extend the inning before Chris Arce connected on a two-run home run to make it 3-0.

Stan State answered in the sixth when Cameron Taylor delivered a spark with a solo home run to right-center, trimming the deficit to 3-1.

Western Oregon added two insurance runs in the ninth to secure the win. Pierce Sailer provided three innings of relief and Jared Sawyer worked the final inning for the Warriors.

Stan State recorded three hits in the contest, with Kian Sanchez and Austin Sargent each adding base knocks alongside Taylor's home run.

Game Two: Western Oregon 3, Stan State 2

The nightcap featured another strong effort from the Warriors in a back-and-forth seven-inning battle.

Western Oregon scored in the second on an RBI single and added a run in the sixth to take a 2-0 lead, but Stan State responded immediately in the bottom half.

Jacob Haros reached on an error to begin the rally, and Zach Lewis followed with a single. After Korey Likens moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, Kian Sanchez came through with a clutch two-run double down the right-field line to even the score at 2-2.

The Wolves regained the lead in the seventh on a sacrifice fly and held off the Warriors late to complete the sweep.

Rocco Gurrola turned in a solid start in game two, allowing two runs over 5.1 innings while striking out four. Herman Luna (0-2) was charged with the loss in relief, and Eli Blurton recorded the final two outs.

Sanchez paced the offense in the nightcap with two RBI, while Bradley Morris and Jacob Reyes each doubled. Lewis also added a hit as part of the sixth-inning rally.

Warrior Notables

• Cameron Taylor launched his first home run of the season in game one, a sixth-inning solo shot.

• Kian Sanchez drove in three of the Warriors' four runs on the day, including the game-tying two-run double in game two.

• Payton Hawkinson recorded seven strikeouts over five innings in the opener.

• Rocco Gurrola provided 5.1 innings in game two, keeping Stan State within striking distance.

• Bradley Morris and Jacob Reyes each tallied a double in the nightcap.

• Stan State pitching combined for 13 strikeouts across the two games.

• The Warrior bullpen logged 7.2 innings of relief, highlighted by three innings from Pierce Sailer in game one.

Up Next

Stan State will wrap up its series with Western Oregon on Sunday at 12 p.m. at Warrior Baseball Field. The game will be streamed on FloCollege with live stats available.

The Warriors then hit the road for a four-game series at Chico State beginning Friday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. at Nettleton Stadium. The series continues with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Stan State returns home to open CCAA play against Cal State East Bay on Friday, March 6 at 6 p.m. at Warrior Baseball Field. The series continues with a Saturday doubleheader (March 7 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.) and concludes Sunday, March 8 at 12 p.m. All home games will feature FloCollege streaming and live stats.