From WSU Sports Info
LOS ANGELES – Washington State
surrendered an eighth-inning lead for the second straight game and dropped a
5-4 contest to No. 14 UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The Cougars held a 4-3 lead in the
eighth but UCLA loaded the bases and took advantage of a no-call after WSU
thought they had ended the inning with a strikeout but the pitch was called a
ball and UCLA singled in the tying and go-ahead runs on the next pitch.
Washington State (4-12, 0-3 Pac-12)
received two-hits apiece from Justin Harrer, Blake Clanton and James Rudkin.
Harrer homered for the third straight game and starter Cody Anderson worked
into the eighth for his second straight start, allowing four earned runs and
struck out three in seven-plus innings. The Bruins used five pitchers to
improve to 13-4 and 3-0 in Pac-12 Conference play.
In the second, WSU manufactured a run
after Clanton bounced a single back up the middle and Rudkin followed with a base hit through the
left side. Both runners were bunted up a base before Jack Smith scored Clanton
with an RBI-groundout to second base.
In UCLA’s half of the second, they
strung four hits together that each snuck by a Cougar infielder and led to a
pair of runs in the inning. The Bruins pushed the lead to 3-1 with a solo homer
to right field in the third inning.
In the fourth, the Cougars scored
three runs, two coming on bases loaded walks. Harrer led off the inning with
solo homer over the batter’s eye in centerfield, his third straight game with
home run and second straight day hitting one over the batter’s eye. One batter
later, Rudkin lined a single back up the middle before JJ Hancock and Jack
Smith each drew walks to load the bases. Cal Waterman then drew a walk to score
Rudkin and one batter later Andres Alvarez also worked a bases-loaded walk to
score Hancock for a 4-3 Cougar lead.
Anderson settled in a dominated the
middle innings, allowing just three baserunners after the third-inning home
run. The senior lefthander exited after allowing a leadoff single in the
eighth. Following a sacrifice bunt, the next two Bruin batters drew walks to
load the bases. Senior reliever Ryan Walker recorded the second out with a
popout to Alvarez at shortstop. With two strikes on the following hitter,
Walker seemed to have painted the inside corner for the third out as the entire
Cougar infield and catcher Cal Waterman thought was strike three but the umpire
did not make the call. The Bruins pinch-hitter pulled the next pitch through
the right side into right field for the go-ahead two-out two-run single.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Justin Harrer
homered for the third straight game, has five career home runs against UCLA. Harrer
has hit safely in five straight games. Reliever Ryan Walker made his 70th
career appearance, tied for 10th in WSU history
NEXT UP: The Cougars will hit the
road again next week for a three-game Pac-12 series at Arizona.
