LOS ANGELES – Washington State surrendered an eighth-inning lead for the second straight game and dropped a 5-4 contest to No. 14 UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium Sunday afternoon.
 
The Cougars held a 4-3 lead in the eighth but UCLA loaded the bases and took advantage of a no-call after WSU thought they had ended the inning with a strikeout but the pitch was called a ball and UCLA singled in the tying and go-ahead runs on the next pitch.
 
Washington State (4-12, 0-3 Pac-12) received two-hits apiece from Justin Harrer, Blake Clanton and James Rudkin. Harrer homered for the third straight game and starter Cody Anderson worked into the eighth for his second straight start, allowing four earned runs and struck out three in seven-plus innings. The Bruins used five pitchers to improve to 13-4 and 3-0 in Pac-12 Conference play.
 
In the second, WSU manufactured a run after Clanton bounced a single back up the middle and  Rudkin followed with a base hit through the left side. Both runners were bunted up a base before Jack Smith scored Clanton with an RBI-groundout to second base.
 
In UCLA's half of the second, they strung four hits together that each snuck by a Cougar infielder and led to a pair of runs in the inning. The Bruins pushed the lead to 3-1 with a solo homer to right field in the third inning.
 
In the fourth, the Cougars scored three runs, two coming on bases loaded walks. Harrer led off the inning with solo homer over the batter's eye in centerfield, his third straight game with home run and second straight day hitting one over the batter's eye. One batter later, Rudkin lined a single back up the middle before JJ Hancock and Jack Smith each drew walks to load the bases. Cal Waterman then drew a walk to score Rudkin and one batter later Andres Alvarez also worked a bases-loaded walk to score Hancock for a 4-3 Cougar lead.
 
Anderson settled in a dominated the middle innings, allowing just three baserunners after the third-inning home run. The senior lefthander exited after allowing a leadoff single in the eighth. Following a sacrifice bunt, the next two Bruin batters drew walks to load the bases. Senior reliever Ryan Walker recorded the second out with a popout to Alvarez at shortstop. With two strikes on the following hitter, Walker seemed to have painted the inside corner for the third out as the entire Cougar infield and catcher Cal Waterman thought was strike three but the umpire did not make the call. The Bruins pinch-hitter pulled the next pitch through the right side into right field for the go-ahead two-out two-run single.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Justin Harrer homered for the third straight game, has five career home runs against UCLA
Harrer has hit safely in five straight games
Reliever Ryan Walker made his 70^th career appearance, tied for 10^th in WSU history
 
NEXT UP
The Cougars will hit the road again next week for a three-game Pac-12 series at Arizona.