PULLMAN, Wash. – Freshman Mason Cerrillo's first career home run was a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning to lift Washington State past No. 10 Oregon State 7-5 in front of 2,204 fans at Bailey-Brayton Field Friday afternoon.
The Cougars (11-20, 4-10 Pac-12) received a dominant outing from junior starting pitcher Ian Hamilton who held Oregon State (23-8, 6-5 Pac-12) hitless through the first six innings. Redshirt-junior Trek Stemp recorded two hits and sophomore third baseman Shane Matheny collected three hits and drove in three runs to help WSU even the series at 1-1 with the Beavers.
OSU used a leadoff walk, a balk, a wild pitch and an RBI-groundout to take a 1-0 lead in the second. Washington State answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, as Stefan Van Horn walked and Jack Strunc muscled a single into right field to put two runners on with two outs. After a wild pitch moved both runners up, Matheny lined a double into the right field corner to score two runs.
Hamilton cruised through the middle innings, retiring 11 straight batters at one point before allowing a walk in the sixth but made a couple athletic plays on a bunt and a slowly hit chopper to end the inning. With the no-hitter still intact to start the seventh, Hamilton saw his 1-0 pitch singled into right field by the first batter he faced, ending the no-hit bid. Oregon State got to Hamilton after that, drawing a walk to put two runners one and then homered to left field to knock Hamilton from the game and own a 4-3 lead. Walker entered from the bullpen and got the final three outs.
The Cougars came right back as Matheny stayed hot with a line-drive single back up the middle with one out. Stemp then lined a pitch off the OSU pitcher and beat out an infield single to put runners on first and third. Dugan Shirer stepped in, put down a sacrifice bunt and was ruled safe at first after the OSU second baseman was off the first base bag to load the bases for Cerrillo. The Auburn, Wash. native hammered a 1-0 pitch high over the right field fence for a grand slam and a 7-4 lead.
Oregon State pushed a run across in the eighth to make it a two-run game but Walker held strong in the ninth. He surrendered a one-out walk but ended the game with a double play as OSU lined out to Stemp at second who threw on to first to double off the runner for the final out.
Walker improved to 5-1 with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one earned run on two hits. OSU's Jordan Britton took the loss after allowing the Cerrillo grand slam.
GAME NOTES…Stemp recorded his team-leading 13th multiple hit game this season…Cerrillo hit WSU's first grand slam since Yale Rosen in 2014 against San Jose State…the series concludes Saturday at Noon.
