On Saturday, Feb. 15, the Washington State Cougars faced the Arkansas Razorbacks in the third game of their four-game series at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. The Razorbacks secured a 5-2 victory, clinching the series with a 3-0 lead.
The game began with a scoreless first inning. In the second inning, Arkansas took the lead when Kendall Diggs scored on Zane Becker’s double to center field. Washington State responded in the fourth inning, tying the game at 2-2. Transfer junior Ricco Longo tripled to center field, bringing in Logan Johnstone, and Ryan Skjonsby followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Longo.
The Razorbacks regained the lead in the sixth inning when Brent Iredale homered to left field, making the score 3-2. They extended their lead in the eighth inning with two runs: Becker doubled to left center and Justin Thomas Jr. singled to center field, setting up a two-run situation. The game concluded with a final score of 5-2 in favor of Arkansas.
Washington State’s offensive efforts included six hits, with Skjonsby contributing two singles. Longo’s triple and Skjonsby’s sacrifice fly were the team’s only RBIs. Defensively, the Cougars committed no errors.
Arkansas’s offense was led by Iredale, who went 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs.
“Every game I’m trying to make the best swings I can and make good contact,” Iredale said in a postgame press conference. “If I see a pitch I like, I’m just going to try and hit it as hard as I can.”
Becker also contributed with two doubles and an RBI. The Razorbacks’ pitching staff held Washington State to two runs on six hits, with Dylan Carter earning the win and Carson Wiggins securing the save.
Both starters threw the ball well. For the Cougs, junior transfer Luke Myers went five innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out three. Razorbacks starter Gage Wood also went five innings, allowing two runs while striking out seven.
“I thought he threw good,” said Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn on Wood’s first start of the year in a postgame press conference. “Most of them were right around the plate. Even his misses were close.”
This victory improved Arkansas’s record to 3-0, while Washington State fell to 0-3. The teams are scheduled to conclude their series at noon CT on Monday, Feb. 17. With the Razorbacks having already clinched the series victory, the Cougs will look to steal the getaway game before heading to their tournament next week in Texas.
“We just couldn’t get the swing when we needed it,” said WSU head coach Nathan Choate in a postgame press conference. “They got two swings later in the game when they needed it. It seemed like that was the difference.”
There will not be a game played tomorrow, due to impending weather, but the Cougars and Razorbacks will square off a final time on Monday.
