MOSES LAKE — Big Bend hasn’t swept Walla Walla in four or five years, but the NWAC East front-runners would love to make it standard operating procedure.

Cody Banks drove a fastball into the right-center gap for the walk-off single and the Vikings slammed the door on the sweep with a 13-3 victory in the second game Wednesday afternoon at Viking Field.

Blake Collier pitched a one-hit gem in the opener, striking out five, walking two in going the distance for the seven-inning shutout, 12-0. The Vikings (14-6, 2-0 East) extended the winning to four in a row, having won eight of the past 10 games.

“We’ve been working so hard and the program has changed so much. Last year we had a hard time beating these guys at all. This year we beat them twice by 10 runs,” said left fielder Daulton Kvenvold, who scored a combined six runs in the twin bill. “We’re just playing so much better this year.”

It’s early yet, but first-year head coach Jameson Lange likes the chemistry on his team that has just 10 sophomores.

“We’ve come out of the gate and put up pretty good numbers. “We’ve been hitting the ball well, our pitching is deep. I like the idea that they play hard every single time out. Our mindset is to keep on pushing.”

Big Bend 13, Walla Walla 3

Cody Banks has been money with the bat so far. The sophomore from Duval is No. 3 in the NWAC in RBI with 24 in 71 at-bats. He had a chance to drive in two more and he delivered to end the game in the seventh inning.

“He challenged me with a 3-2 fastball low and away. I was seeing it good today and just went with it to the opposite field,” said Banks. “Offensively, we have the same feel as last year, but I think we’re a lot stronger.

“Everybody can get the job done when we have to and to sweep Walla Walla is a good feeling right there.”

Devon Roe put the Warriors (9-7, 0-2) on the board early with a solo home run in the second. But Tyson Yamane, who’s ranked No. 20 in the NWAC with a 1.86 ERA, knuckled down and regained control, allowing four hits, one run, while striking out one and walking one in five innings of work.

Banks (.366) and Nathan English (.387) give the Vikings a lot of options, hitting out of the three and four holes, respectively. Banks finished the game 2-for-4 with a home run in the fifth. English was 1-for-2 and walked a couple of times when the Walla Walla staff pitched a little to gingerly around the sophomore from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Vincent Fillipone was 4-for-5 with a double.

Banks (5), Fillipone (4) and Trevor Luckey (3) combined to drive in 12 runs and keep the winning streak moving.

Big Bend 12, Walla Walla 0

Collier took control from the minute he walked out of the bullpen, allowed just one hit in seven innings pitched, striking out five and walking two.

Like they did in the second game, the Vikings started slow with two in the second and one in the fourth before blowing the game wide open with seven runs in the sixth to win by the 10-run rule.

English was 3-for-3 with a home run and scored three times. Derek Almanza and Ben Albrecht both doubled and Nic Metcalf had a triple to drive in a run.

The Vikings, who are tied with Spokane (15-5, 2-0) and Columbia Basin (14-6, 2-0) atop the East standings, play at Yakima Valley on Saturday. They open April with two critical doubleheaders, Columbia Basin at home on April 4, and Spokane on the road on April 7.

Game 2

Walla Walla 010 001 1 - 3 8 0

Big Bend 001 552 x - 13 13 0

Mike Peterson (5.1), Wyatt Baldwin (0.2), Dimick Wood (0.2) and Jordan Lester; Tysen Yamane (5.0), Austin Pesicka (2.0) and Dylan Miller. BIG BEND HITS: Daulton Kvenvold (2), Vincent Filllipone (4), Cody Banks (2), Trevor Luckey (2), Nathaniel English, Dylan Miller, Ben Albrecht. 2B - Kvenvold, Filllipone. HR - Banks.

Game 1

Walla Walla 000 000 0 - 0 1 1

Big Bend 020 127 x - 12 9 1

Austin Haughton (4.1), Caden Kaelber (1.0), Jak Evenhus 0.2) and Blake Loftus; Blake Collier (7.0) and Dylan Miller. BIG BEND HITS: Banks (2), English (3), Metcalf, Almanza, Miller, Albrecht. 2B - Albrecht,

Almanza. 3B - Metcalf. HR - English