EDINBURG, Texas – Washington State sophomore pitcher Ryan Walker threw five scoreless innings of relief and the Cougars used a couple clutch hits to post a 3-2 victory over Houston Baptist University at the Al Ogletree Classic Friday.
Walker entered the game to start the third inning and surrendered just one hit while strikeout out four to earn his first win of the season. Sophomore reliever Scotty Sunitsch closed the door with scoreless eighth and ninth innings to pick up his first career save.
Cameron Frost and Patrick McGrath each collected two hits for WSU (2-4) as Frost and Derek Chapman each drove in runs in the sixth inning.
Houston Baptist (3-3) used three hits and two wild pitches to push two runs across in the top of the first.
Walker took over for starter Damon Jones to start the third and put up zeroes until giving way to Sunitsch. The Cougars picked up a run in the fifth as Chapman walked to start the inning and Ty Johnson singled to right. Shane Matheny followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt but Houston Baptist didn't field it cleanly, loading the bases. Stemp grounded into a double play but Chapman scored on the play to make it a 2-1 game.
Washington State received a boost from the bench to start the sixth as freshman pinch-hitter Mason Cerrillo led off the inning with a single to right centerfield. McGrath reached on an error that allowed him to reach second and Cerrillo to move around to third on the play. Frost then singled a 0-2 pitch back up the middle to score Cerrillo and tie the game. One batter later, the Cougars executed a squeeze play with Chapman putting the bunt down as McGrath scampered home from third to give WSU a 3-2 lead.
Sunitsch took over for Walker to start the eighth and pitched a scoreless frame. Houston Baptist made things interesting in the ninth with a lead-off single and then moved the runner to second with a sacrifice bunt. A couple pitches later, the runner at second tried to advance to third on a pitch in the dirt but Cougar freshman catcher Ty Johnson gathered the ball in an fired a strike to Matheny at third to tag out the runner for the second out. Sunitsch got the next batter to ground out to seal up the 3-2 win.
GAME NOTES…Trek Stemp went 1-of-4 to extend his hitting streak to six games…Washington State continues play in the Al Ogletree Classic Saturday against Prairie View A&M at 1 p.m. (PT).
--wsucougars.com--
