In one of the lowest scoring games this season, WSU could not muster enough clutch hits and lost a gut wrenching 3-2 loss to Cal Poly.
The Cougars ended up with only two errors, but it is what ended up costing them the game. Along with the errors, WSU had 14 runners left on base, with multiple runners being in scoring position. Most of the opportunities given to the Cougars were from Cal Poly mistakes, as WSU only ended up with six hits and not a single player had a multi-hit performance.
The starting pitchers of the day were Nick Lewis for WSU and Josh Volmerding for Cal Poly.
Lewis was on fire in the game serving five scoreless innings, while giving up five hits, one walk, but only one strikeout.
The entirety of the game, the Cougars never scored an earned run. But, a wild third inning got the first runs of the game for WSU.
Gavin Roy got the inning started hot with a hard hit double to center field with zero outs. After two straight outs, Max Hartman was walked onto first base. The next at bat is when the errors began.
Ollie Obernour reached all the way to second base from a play and error from pitcher Volmerding. With the error came in Roy to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Volmerding was then pulled the next at-bat after he hit WSU’s Dustin Robinson.
The new pitcher Chris Downs came in, and in his first opportunity of the inning he gave up a hard hit from Ryan Skjonsby of WSU which scored the second run of the inning, but a great throw from Dylan Kordic caught Obernour out at third to end the inning.
That was the most action the Cougars would have for the rest of the game, other than missed chances with runners on base.
Cal Poly would not score until the sixth inning after Lewis was pulled for WSU. Coming in for the Cougars was relief pitcher Rylan Haider who had a great showing against Alabama in the opening game of the season pitching two innings with no earned runs. Against Cal Poly, Braxton Thomas had other plans. After two men got on base, Thomas ripped a double down the line in left-field to tie the game at 2-2.
In the top of the ninth, Cal Poly kept the oddities and dramatics going, giving the Cougars bases loaded from three hit-by-pitch batters. With two outs and the bases loaded, it was up to Skjonsby to be the hero but a weak unassisted ground out to first base ended the opportunity for WSU.
In the top of the tenth, Noah Thein got a double down the right field line to give WSU a runner in scoring position, but the chance was missed once again after two easy outs to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 10th, the dam broke for the Cougar pitching staff who had been stellar all day. Scott Rienguette was still in the game after being placed there in the bottom of the eighth, and the extra innings went about as bad as it could get.
After a leadoff single by Cal Poly’s Alejandro Garza, a simple sacrifice bunt turned into disaster after a throwing error from Rienguette. Garza moved from first to third with zero outs. The final at-bat ended after Rienguette tossed a wild pitch and with no play possible at the plate Cal Poly walked off the Cougars in the 10th inning.
The Cougars continue their series against Cal Poly through Monday.
