Washington State University Athletics
Cougars Back Hamilton in 7-2 Win at No. 14 Washington
May 15, 2016 | Baseball
SEATTLE – Washington State scored five in the third inning and back an impressive start from Ian Hamilton in a 7-2 series-clinching win over No. 14 University of Washington Saturday afternoon. WSU will go for the series sweep Sunday at Noon on the Pac-12 Network.
The Cougars (17-28, 10-16 Pac-12) received a three-hit game from Shane Matheny for the second straight day in support of Hamilton who earned the win after allowing just two earned runs on five hits and struck out four in six-plus innings of work. Left-handed reliever Trenton Dupre picked up the save with three scoreless innings of relief.
The Cougars answered UW's first-inning run with a five-run third, using six hits in the inning to take a 5-1 lead. Dugan Shirer got things going with a one-out line drive single to left centerfield and Trek Stemp followed with a single to center on a hit-and-run to put runners on the corners. Matheny stayed hot, a pulling a 2-0 pitch to right field to score Shirer and Stemp came around to score as Ty Johnson punched a ball the other way to right field. Matheny came home as the next hitter, Patrick McGrath hit a deep fly ball to the centerfield wall for a sacrifice fly and a 3-1 lead. The hits kept coming as Weston Hatten pulled a double into the left centerfield gap and J.J. Hancock greeted a new UW pitcher with a two-run single to right field for a 5-1 lead.
Hamilton cruised throughout the day, getting double plays in the third and fifth innings and never really faced a threat after the first inning. Washington singled home a run in the sixth but the Cougars answered with two more in the seventh as two Husky errors led to both runs scoring.
Dupre took over for Hamilton after the lead off runner reached to start the seventh but put up a zero with fly out, groundout and strikeout. Hamilton exited the game to a standing ovation from a large contingent of Cougar fans in attendance. Dupre pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth innings to earn his second save and clinch WSU's second straight series win over UW and first in Seattle since 2004.
GAME NOTES…WSU recorded its first road series win and handed UW its first home series loss this season…the Cougars wrap the series at Washington Sunday at Noon on the Pac-12 Network.
