May 8, 2000

Box Score

SEATTLE, Wash. -- University of Washington starting pitcher Jeff Carlsen threw a complete-game, six-hitter at the Washington State Cougar baseball team to lead the Huskies to a 3-2 Pac-10 series sweeping victory on a rainy Monday afternoon at Husky Ballpark in Seattle.

The win put the Huskies at the .500 mark for the first time of the 2000 season with a 23-23 mark and are now 7-11 in league play. In addition to the series sweep, UW beat the Cougs in all five games this year. WSU suffered its fifth Pac-10 sweep of the year and fell to 16-32 on the year. WSU remains in last place in the Pac-10 with a 4-17 record. With the two one-run loses in the weekend series, WSU is now 2-8 in one-run games.

The Cougars held a 2-1 lead after six innings. After a bunt single by right fielder Justin Williams, freshman catcher Jon Baeder cleared the bases with his second career home run to stake the Cougars to the 2-1 lead.

With Carlsen in control retiring at one point nine Cougars in a row, Washington pulled ahead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Freshman catcher Jefferson Thiel belted his fourth home run of the year to pull the game even and after a double by center fielder Ben Miller, freshman shortstop Tila Reynolds tabbed his third hit of the game to score the eventual game-winning run and give the Huskies the 3-2 advantage.

Carlsen ended up scattering six hits and allowing only two runs in his second complete game of the year to improve to 6-2 on the year. The junior right-hander from Poulsbo, Wash., also ran his career record at UW to 22-6 with his 104-pitch gem. Carlsen struck out eight and walked only two.

The Huskies drew first blood on the Cougars with a single run in the third inning. Thiel led the inning off with a double to left field. After a sacrifice bunt from Miller to move Thiel to third, Reynolds plated UW's first run with a bunt base hit.

After UW took the 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh, the Cougs threatened to score in the top of the eighth, but ran themselves out of the inning on a attempted double-steal attempt. After a Shawn Stevenson double down the right field line, the senior shortstop was caught in a run-down at third base while attempting to score the game-tying run.

WSU starter Matt O'Brien turned in a valiant effort on the mound and pitched well enough to deserve the win. O'Brien, who entered the game with the third best ERA in the conference, scattered 13 hits in his 7.1 inning outing and allowed only three runs. The senior southpaw is now 7-4 on the year with a 3.21 ERA.

A host of Husky freshman had banner days at the plate to lead the 13-hit attack. Reynolds was 3-for-4 with two RBI and Thiel was 3-for-4 with a home runs and two runs scored. Tyler Davidson was also 2-for-4 and ended the year against the Cougars 10-for-15 with four home runs.

Left Fielder Evan Hecker was the only Coug to record more than one hit in his 2-for-3 game.

The Cougars will return to the Palouse for the last eight games of the 2000 campaign. WSU will travel to Lewistion, Idaho Wednesday for a single contest against the Lewis-Clark State Warriors. The Cougars will then return to Bailey-Brayton Field for the last seven games against of the year.

WSU  000-020-000 - 2  6 0
UW   001-000-20x - 3 13 0

Matt O'Brien, Zach Fisher (8), and Jon Baeder.
Jeff Carlsen and Jefferson Thiel.
W  Carlsen (6-2),L  O'Brien (7-4), S  None,
HR  Baeder (2), Thiel (4).
T  2:21, A - 337.
WSU Hits  Gates, Hecker 2, Williams, Baeder, Stevenson.
UW Hits  Rittenhouse, Davidson 2, Thiel 3, Reynolds 3,
Linden 2, Erickson,
Miller.
E  None.
2B  Stevenson (9), Thiel (8), Linden (13), Miller (2),
3B  None.