Washington State University Athletics
Jones, Van Horn Lead Cougars to 4-1 Win Over Cal
May 28, 2016 | Baseball
PULLMAN, Wash. – Stefan Van Horn's two-out three-run double highlighted Washington State's 4-1 series-opening victory over the University of California at Bailey-Brayton Field Friday evening.
The Cougars (19-33, 11-17 Pac-12) received a strong starting pitching performance from Damon Jones who allowed just one earned run on three hits while striking out three in 5.1 innings. It was a season-high in innings for the lefthander who improved to 2-2 in his final start of the season. Ryan Walker picked up his fifth save after firing 3.2 scoreless innings while striking out four. WSU received a two-hit game from senior Patrick McGrath, a stolen base and two runs scored from Justin Harrer and three RBI from Van Horn.
Cal dropped to 30-21 overall and 12-16 in conference play.
Washington State stranded a pair of runners in the first and second innings but got a big hit in the fourth. Harrer got things going with a leadoff single to right field, later stole second and came around to score on Jack Strunc's two-out opposite field hit to right field for a 1-0 Cougar lead.
Jones cruised after allowing a first-inning single, retiring 11 in a row before Cal singled with one out in the fifth. Jones came back with a ground ball to Harrer at shortstop who stepped on second and threw on to first for the inning-ending double play.
The Cougars got another big two-out hit in the fifth as Van Horn cleared the bases with a two-out three-run double to left centerfield. WSU received a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch before Van Horn hammered a 3-2 pitch deep in the left centerfield gap for a 4-0 advantage.
Cal pushed a run across in the sixth, using a pair of singles to start the inning and eventually chased Jones. WSU called upon right-hander Ryan Walker from the bullpen who got a strikeout but the next batter singled home a run to make it a 4-1 game. Walker came back to get the Pac-12's leading homerun hitter Brett Cumberland to foul out to the right fielder JJ Hancock to end the inning.
In the eighth, the Bears led off the inning with a double into the right field corner but Walker buckled down to get a groundout and a pair of strikeouts to strand the runner at third and kept it a 4-1 game. It was more of the same in the ninth as Walker got a popout to Harrer, a strikeout and a game-ending diving play from Patrick McGrath at first base who got to his feet and flipped to Walker at first for the game's final out.
Tanner Dodson took the loss for Cal after allowing the four earned runs on seven hits in five innings of work.
GAME NOTES…Patrick McGrath reached on an infield single in the first to extend his on-base steak to 12 games…Dugan Shirer stole his 12th base of the season, tying Trek Stemp for the team lead…Derek Chapman stole his 11th base of the season…the series continues Saturday at 4 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.
