SIGNAL PEAK – The law of averages caught up with the Central Arizona College baseball team on Saturday in the form of a doubleheader split with Arizona Western at McSwain Field.

The top-ranked Vaqueros rolled to a 12-2 run-rule victory in Game 1, which ended in the fifth inning. They were limited to three hits in the nine-inning second game, which the Matadors won 7-1.

Central (11-4, 5-1 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) began ACCAC play by sweeping road doubleheaders against Pima and Cochise. The Vaqueros defeated Pima by scores of 5-1 and 9-1 and posted wins of 1-0 and 4-1 over Cochise.

"I'll take that every year," CAC coach Anthony Gilich said of his team's 5-1 conference start. "In this league, you get tested every time out."

Ashtin Webb and Lou Albrecht homered for the Vaqueros, and left-hander Matt Wilkinson limited the Matadors to three hits in the opener.

Wilkinson (3-0) went the distance, striking out 11 and walking one. He has struck out 37 while issuing just three walks in 23 innings pitched this season. Wilkinson retired the side in order in every inning but the third, striking out three in the first and two in the second, third, fourth and fifth.

"He had command of all his pitches," Gilich said. "As usual, he did a great job."

Webb's solo home run with two outs in the first staked Central to a 1-0 lead. Albrecht's two-run homer – his team-leading third – following a leadoff single by Marcus Harrison in the second and made it 3-0.

Western had all three of its hits with one out in the top of the third, loading the bases on singles by Gabriel Perez, Wesley Estrella and Jared Davis. Reece Longstaff drove in a run with a fielder's choice grounder and Estrella came home on a wild pitch to trim CAC's lead to 3-2.

That did not faze the Vaqueros, who responded with four runs in the bottom of the third, two in the fourth and three in the fifth. All but three of Central's runs came off AWC starter Juan Gil Franco.

Sebastian Tomerlin led off the third inning with a walk and eventually scored on an error. Tyrese Johnson, Webb and Harrison singled to load the bases, and Johnson scored on Albrecht's fielder's choice grounder. Kooper Schulte drove in the final two runs with a two-out double.

Luke Thiele led off the CAC fourth with a single and came around on a three-base throwing error that occurred on Tomerlin's sacrifice bunt. Tomerlin scored on Webb's sacrifice fly.

Thiele, Tomerlin and Webb had RBI singles in the fifth off reliever Bobby Lane, with Webb's being the game-ender. It came with two outs.

The Vaqueros finished with 12 hits. Webb went 3 for 3 with three RBIs, Harrison and Thiele both had two hits and Albrecht drove in three runs. Courtesy runner DJ Massey had three of CAC's four stolen bases.

Central collected just three hits in the second game – Johnson's double and singles by Harrison and Thiele. Roland Marte pitched the final 6 1/3 innings for the Matadors (8-4, 2-2 ACCAC), holding CAC scoreless.

Webb drove in the Vaqueros' lone run with a third-inning sacrifice fly.

Western put up two runs in the first inning and two in the fourth against Central starter Patrick Steitz (2-1). Steitz allowed five hits, struck out nine and walked two before departing after four innings.

The Matadors tacked on three runs in the eighth. They finished with eight hits.