April 11, 2010
Photo Gallery 
Box Score 
PULLMAN, Wash. - Nine Cougars collected a hit and Washington State defeated top-ranked Arizona State 9-5 in Pacific-10 Conference baseball at Bailey-Brayton Field, Sunday.
With the victory, the Cougars (17-11, 3-3 Pac-10) took two of three games from the Sun Devils (28-3, 6-3 Pac-10) and won a series against Arizona State for the first time in school history.
"We played great today," WSU Head Coach Donnie Marbut said. "We were clean on defense and walked one batter. Against good teams like Arizona State, you have to play good defense and cannot afford to walk batters."
After Arizona State scored a run in the top of the first inning, WSU responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame against Sun Devils' starter Jake Borup (6-1). Garry Kuykendall was hit by a pitch and Shea Vucinich singled through the left side. Both runners came home when Derek Jones doubled off the top of the wall in center field to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead. Michael Weber followed with a RBI-double and moved to third on a ground out by Patrick Claussen. A sacrifice fly by Matt Argyropoulos plated Weber and put WSU on top 4-1.
Arizona State picked up a run in the top of the second and the Cougars answered in their half of the third. Weber walked, Claussen was hit by a pitch and both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Argyropoulos. Ryan Peterson picked up a RBI with a ground out and the Cougars took a 5-2 lead.
In the fourth, the Sun Devils scored two runs to pull within 5-4 and had runners at the corners with one out. Connor Lambert (2-1) came on in relief of WSU starter David Stilley to face Arizona State leadoff hitter Drew Maggi. Lambert fanned Maggi and induced a ground out by Zach MacPhee to end the threat.
After Lambert set the Sun Devils down in order in both the fifth and sixth innings, the Cougar offense added three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Argyropoulos led off the inning with a home run. Peterson doubled, but was erased on a fielder's choice bunt by Paul Clingan. Cody Bartlett singled up the middle and Kuykendall beat out a bunt for a hit to load the bases. All three runners advanced on a wild pitch and Vucinich walked to load the bases again. After Jones struck out, Matt Fanelli delivered a pinch hit, RBI-single to score Bartlett and give WSU an 8-4 lead.
In the eighth, Arizona State put runners at first and second with one out against Paris Shewey. Adam Conley came in to retire Raoul Torrez on a fly ball and struck out pinch hitter Jordan Swagerty on three pitches to end the inning.
A sacrifice fly by Vucinich in the bottom of the eighth increased the WSU advantage to 9-4 before the Sun Devils mounted a final threat in the ninth. An infield single by Maggi, a bloop single by MacPhee and a swinging bunt by Kole Calhoun went for an infield hit to score Maggi. Conley recorded the first out of the inning on a fly ball by Sun Devils' cleanup hitter Riccio Torrez and notched his sixth save when Zach Wilson bounced into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
The Cougars will play Seattle in Wenatchee, Tuesday at 6 p.m.
WSU NOTES
The Cougars were hit by a pitch six times, including Garry Kuykendall three times...series drew 5,194 fans.
