PULLMAN, Wash. –
Justin Harrer launched a walk-off solo homer in the 10
th inning to give Washington State an 8-7 victory over Arizona State in front of 1,058 fans at Bailey-Brayton Field Thursday evening.
The Cougars (6-14, 2-5 Pac-12) saw Harrer pull an 0-2 pitch off the scoreboard in left centerfield for his fourth home run of the season and gave WSU its first walk-off homer since P.J. Jones hit a walk-off grand slam to beat No. 20 Oregon State in 2012.
Washington State received two-hit games from
Blake Clanton and
Danny Sinatro while freshman
Collin Montez hit his first career home run, a three-run shot as part of a six-run second inning that erased ASU's four-run first. Freshman reliever
Hayden Rosenkrantz allowed just one earned run in four innings while senior
Ryan Walker picked up the win after firing four scoreless innings. For Walker, it was career appearance No. 72, ninth-most in WSU history and he also notched his 11
th career relief victory, fourth-most in WSU history.
Arizona State used four hits and a two Cougar errors to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning.
Washington State answered in a big way in the second inning, sending 11 men to the plate and scored six runs on seven hits. Clanton started the inning with a double the opposite way into left centerfield and
JJ Hancock reached on an infield single to second base. Montez stepped in and launched a 3-2 pitch high over the right field wall for a three-run shot and his first career homer.
Cal Waterman and
Danny Sinatro each followed with singles and Alvarez tied the game with an RBI-double down the right field line.
Dillon Plew followed by greeting a new ASU pitcher with a chopped single over the Sun Devil third baseman to score Sinatro and Alvarez for a 6-4 lead.
Cougar freshman reliever
Hayden Rosenkrantz took over to start the second inning and worked into the 6
th inning, allowing just one run in the third inning while striking out two along the way. Rosenkrantz exited after allowing a single to start the sixth and ASU later used a two-run homer to centerfield to regain the lead, 7-6.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars saw Hancock and Montez each draw walks to start the inning.
Cal Waterman followed with a bunt that the ASU pitcher fielded but threw wide of third base and down the left field line that allowed Hancock to trot home, tying the game 7-7. WSU had runners on first and third with nobody out but a call to the bullpen resulted in a pair of strikeouts and a ground out that kept WSU off the board.
Both bullpens posted zeros in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings before Harrer ended the game in the 10th.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Hayden Rosenkrantz matched career highs with four innings and two strikeouts, set career high with 57 pitches
JJ Hancock reached on an infield single in the second inning, has reached base in seven straight games and owns a hit in four straight
Four of WSU's six wins this season have been of the comeback variety
NEXT UP
The series continues Friday at 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.
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