May 15, 2012
Box Score 
PULLMAN, Wash. - Freshman Joe Pistorese pitched five-shutout innings and Washington State defeated USC 3-1 in Pac-12 Conference baseball at Bailey-Brayton Field, Tuesday.
Pistorese (3-3) gave up three hits, walked two and struck out one. Redshirt-freshman Scott Simon blanked the Trojans (22-25, 7-17 Pac-12) for three innings and Anthony Drobnick worked the ninth for his third save, despite giving up one run.
"It was a great start by Joe (Pistorese)," Cougar Head Coach Donnie Marbut said. "He gave us everything that we needed. Scott (Simon) gave us three innings and put up some zeroes for us."
Washington State (25-24, 10-14 Pac-12) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning against Trojans' starter Nigel Nootbaar (1-2). Patrick Claussen doubled with one out and scored on a two-out double by Jason Monda.
In the eighth, the Cougars scored twice off the USC bullpen. Taylor Ard singled with one out and Derek Jones walked. After a balk moved both runners up, Nate Blackham singled to plate two runs and give Washington State a 3-0 lead.
In the ninth, Drobnick gave up back-to-back singles to open the inning before recording two strikeouts. A third single cut the Cougars' lead to 3-1, but the Washington State right-hander induced a ground out to end the game.
GAME NOTES
Joe Pistorese lowered his team-leading ERA to 2.89...Taylor Ard reached base for the 29th-straight game...game was a make-up of April 1 contest postponed due to weather...Cougars open a three-game Pac-12 series with Oregon State, Friday at 5:30 p.m.
