In the midst of the snow, WSU baseball (7-4) let a 3-0 lead slip away from them late. Senior Grant Taylor threw four no-hit innings, but Rhode Island (2-7) tied it up, and later broke the tie with a home run in the ninth inning. The Cougars failed to rally, and dropped game three to the Rams, 6-3.

The series was supposed to be a four-game set, but a snowstorm during game one delayed the remainder of the game to Saturday. Because the starting pitchers on Friday were only able to throw one inning before the game was postponed, they were both back on the mound for game three.

Taylor got the Sunday start for Wazzu. For the Rams, it was freshman Evan Maloney, son of former Major Leaguer Sean Maloney. Maloney was making what was technically the second collegiate start of his career if you count his one inning in game one as a start. 

The Cougs jumped on Maloney early. In the second inning, with two outs, catcher Jacob Morrow, who entered the game with a .500 average, picked up the first hit of the ballgame. From there, the Cougs strung together three more base hits. Morrow scored on an RBI double from centerfielder Nate Swarts. The next batter, second baseman Crew Parke, crushed a two-out, two-run double into centerfield, scoring Swarts and Cole Cramer, giving the Cougs an early 3-0 lead. 

Meanwhile, on the mound, Taylor dealt. Through 4.0 innings, he struck out five and allowed just a single baserunner, a hit batter in the first inning. It was looking like it could be a smooth WSU victory. 

In the top of the fifth inning, it began snowing. As fans slowly began to leave the stadium, the Rams began to seize the momentum. Despite having only thrown 37 pitches, Taylor was replaced in the fifth inning by Duke Brotherton, the originally scheduled starter.

Originally the Sunday starter for the four-game series, Brotherton instead came in as a long-reliver. The Rams jumped on him immediately, loading the bases before he could record his first out. A Brody McKenzie RBI single gave the Rams their first run of the day. Then, with two outs and two runners in scoring position, the Rams leadoff hitter Reece Maroney laced a two-run single into centerfield. That hit tied the game at three. 

As the snow picked up, both team’s offenses slowed down. Over the next four innings, both teams only mustered up two hits each, and the score remained tied at three heading into the ninth inning. The snow had finally stopped, and the loyal fans who remained in the stadium, willing to brave the cold and the elements, were hoping for a walk-off victory to secure the sweep. 

Instead, the opposite occurred. In the top of the ninth, the Cougars brought in closer Chase Grillo, sporting a 1.29 ERA into the season. The Rams leadoff batter, Brody Levin, drew a four-pitch walk to start the inning. Scott Penney followed up by laying down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to advance Levin into scoring position. 

Next came Eric Genther, pinch-hitting in the place of the catcher. Genther knocked in the winning run with an RBI single into left field. The next batter, McKenzie, secured the Rams two more insurance runs. He crushed a full-count fastball over the head of left fielder Max Hartman for a two-run homer. Grillo finished out the inning, but the Cougars had their work cut out for them in the ninth inning, suddenly down 6-3. 

WSU did put up a fight in the ninth. Morrow drew a leadoff walk, and Cramer singled, to give the Cougars two baserunners to start the inning. However, Rhode Island reliever Tommy Hughes finished off the next three batters, to secure the save and the win for Rhode Island. 

With their win, Rhode Island improved their season record to 2-7 and snapped a seven-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Cougars fell to 7-4. They will prepare to begin Pac-12 play later this week when they will host second-place Utah Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Cougars were picked by the NCAA to finish last in the league, but they currently hold the fifth-best record in the Pac-12. WSU begins Pac-12 play 4:05 p.m. Friday in Pullman.