WSU baseball takes game 1 in Seattle
April 26, 2014
It took a tenacious at-bat by Ian Sagdal in the top of the seventh inning to lead the WSU Cougars over the Washington Huskies in Game 1 of the rivalry series this weekend.
After a long at-bat against left-handed reliever Will Ballowe, the junior second baseman lined a ball up the middle to drive in the two runs that would decide the game.
Two big innings for both teams lasted for most of the game, but the Cougars ultimately landed the last punch, winning 6-4.
A three-run home run by sophomore Austin Rei in the bottom of the second inning put the Huskies ahead in a hurry against junior Joe Pistorese and the Cougars. That inning was almost enough to propel the Huskies to a win, but it turned out to be the only time Washington would score all night.
Pistorese started off with a perfect first inning, retiring the first three batters he faced. However, he ran into trouble in the next inning when junior Trevor Mitsui doubled to begin the inning. The Cougars pitched around senior Brian Wolfe, who entered the series batting .400, which put runners at first and second base with nobody out. After the next batter was retired on a sacrifice, Rei smoked the ball to center field to put the Huskies on top.
The inning grew worse as sophomore Matt Jackson grounded a ball to second base that Sagdal could not field cleanly, resulting in another baserunner with one out. The Cougars could have been out of the inning when the next hitter flied out, but instead, the inning continued. Jones tried to cut down Jackson stealing second, but overthrew the ball, which allowed the stolen base. Sophomore Braden Bishop singled to bring in Jackson, and consequently, the Huskies took the lead.
The Cougars quickly answered with a big burst of runs in the top of the third inning. Senior Collin Slaybaugh hit his second single of the game to lead off the inning, and that was when Huskies starter Jared Fisher ran into control problems.
Slaybaugh advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then moved to third when the same thing happened again. Jones, who watched all those wild pitches go by, walked on four straight pitches, and junior Yale Rosen walked on four more consecutive balls to load the bases.
Then redshirt sophomore Nick Tanielu hit a line-drive to right field, which scored Slaybaugh from third and put the Cougars on the board. The runners on first and second were soon vacated from their spots when redshirt sophomore Ben Roberts laced a ball into the right-center gap for a two-run triple that brought the Cougars within one with only one out in the inning. The rally stalled, though, as the next two hitters recorded outs to end the big frame.
The score stayed locked at 4-3 as both starters managed to work out of jams to keep their teams in the game. Pistorese allowed two runners to reach base in the bottom of the fourth inning but retired the next three batters to end the threat. He ran into more trouble in the sixth inning when the Huskies loaded the bases with two singles and a walk, prompting WSU to go to the bullpen.
Senior Kellen Camus entered the inning with one out and forced junior Erik Forgione to hit a ball to the pitcher, resulting in an out at home. A long battle between Camus and Bishop ensued, but Camus eventually won by getting Bishop to ground out to second base, maintaining the one-run difference.
Senior Trevor Dunlap replaced Fisher for the top of the seventh inning, and he ran into trouble immediately. Redshirt junior Trace Tam Sing drew a leadoff walk, and then Slaybaugh doubled for his third hit of the game. With runners at second and third and nobody out, the Huskies elected not to deal with Rosen, and intentionally walked him to load the bases. Tanielu hit a laser down the third base line that Jackson managed to snag, but he could only tag his base. Tanielu hustled down the line and reached first base, allowing Tam Sing to score from third and to tie the game. Then it all came down to the hero, Sagdal.
The Cougars and Huskies will tangle again Saturday. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. in Seattle.
