PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State baseball dropped an 18-3 decision in the rubber game of the Pac-12 Conference series with Arizona State at Bailey-Brayton Field Saturday afternoon.

Washington State (9-16, 2-7 Pac-12) evened the series at 1-1 after taking Friday's game 9-3, ASU came out swinging to push a couple runs across early and never looked back. The Sun Devils (16-10, 3-6 Pac-12) collected 12 hits and received 15 walks to take the series 2-1. The Cougars were led by senior Patrick McGrath who recorded a pair of RBI-doubles and Mason Cerrillo added a single to extend his hitting streak to seven games.

Arizona State jumped out to an early lead with five runs in the first inning, using four hits off of Cougar starting pitcher Parker McFadden in the frame. Washington State answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning as Dugan Shirer doubled to right center and McGrath followed with a two-out double off the left field wall that scored Shirer.

The Sun Devils erupted for seven runs in the fifth to pull away for good, using five walks and three hits in the inning. McGrath brought home another run for the Cougars in the sixth with an opposite-field bloop double just inside the right field line that scored Mason Cerrillo who had singled.

ASU tacked on another run in the seventh that was more than enough for Sun Devil starter Eder Erives who allowed two earned runs on five hits and struck out 11 over seven innings. McFadden took the loss for the Cougars after allowed five earned runs on five hits in an inning-plus.

GAME NOTES…Right-handed reliever Colby Nealy pitched 1.2 scoreless innings…Trek Stemp saw his hitting streak end at 12 games…WSU heads to Spokane for a nonconference matchup against Gonzaga University Tuesday at 6 p.m. on SWX TV.

--wsucougars.com--