In a battle of whose bullpen would blink first, it was Washington State's relievers who won the staring contest against Arizona Friday night, defeating the Wildcats 6-3 in the first matchup of a three-game series on the Palouse.
While neither team had pitch-perfect performances from their starters, it was the Cougars' tandem of Cam Liss and Connor Wilford in relief who combined to shut down the Arizona baseball team for five innings of scoreless work, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out two. Liss earned the victory in 1 1/3 innings, while Wilford got the save throwing 3.2 innings of shutout ball to close it out.
Game two of the series is Saturday at 3 p.m., followed by the finale Sunday at noon. Both games from Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman, Washington, are available for broadcast/livestream via Pac-12 Washington.
The Wildcats' relievers — and specifically former No. 1, Friday-night starter TJ Nichols — couldn't match the Cougar bullpen's efficiency. Nichols' stat-line in earning the loss: 2 1/3 innings, three earned runs on one hit and four walks, while striking out one.
Neither team was especially efficient at the plate, to the tune of 17 combined runners left on base.
But Washington State got what it needed when it mattered, turning a 3-2 Arizona lead into that three-run victory thanks to two runs each in the fifth and seven innings against the still-middling UA baseball team in Pullman, Washington.
The two hitters at the top of Arizona's batting order — Mac Bingham leading off and two-hole hitter Nik McClaughry — accounted for five of Arizona's 11 hits, but the duo was brought home just once on the night as Arizona's three-through-six holes — Chase Davis, Kiko Romero, Tommy Splaine and Mason White combined to go 2 for 15 without a single RBI as the Wildcats snapped a three-game win streak as they opened a three-game set against the Cougers on the Palouse in southeastern Washington.
Despite Arizona leading 1-0 and 3-2 — McClaughry knocked Bingham in in the first, Emilio Corona doubled in White in the top of the fourth, followed by Corona himself scoring on a Tyler Casagrande single that same inning — Washington state manufactured the game's final four runs.
In the bottom of the fifth, the the Cougars scored via a bases-loaded walk, followed soon by a bases-loaded fielder's choice that got the out, but at the expense of the eventual game-winning run. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Washington State's Cam Magee hit a two-run double to give the Cougars some distance and cap the scoring at 6-3.
Tony Bullard went 2 for 4 for Arizona in the eight hole, while Washington State leadoff hitter Jonah Advincula was 2 for 4 himself and Magee was 2 for 3.
On the mount, Cougar starter Dakota Hawkins allowed nine of Arizona's 11 hits and all three runs in his four innings of work before making way for Liss (1-0), and then Wilford.
Arizona starter Jackson Kent was marginally better, giving up three earned runs on five hits with one walk and two strikouts in 4 1/3 innings of work. Nichols (3-4) took over in the fifth and lasted into the seventh, but departed with runners on base that would score on Magee's double off Eric Orloff in that bottom of the seventh. Orloff officially pitched 1/3 of an inning, allowing just that one hit, while Casey Hintz added one inning of work, allowing one run.
Arizona came in having won its last three — including the final two of a three-game series with Washington in Tucson last weekend — after dropping its last 10 Pac-10 games, and 10 of 12 overall.
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