HONOLULU – Washington State scored three times in the eighth inning and three more in the ninth inning to post a 6-5 comeback win in the series-finale at Hawai'i Sunday afternoon. The two teams split the four-game series.
Junior
Jack Smith delivered a pinch-hit two-run double in the eighth and an RBI-single in the ninth while
Kyle Manzardo doubled in a run in the eighth and brought home the tying run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Jake Meyer produced a pair of hits after coming off the bench in the eighth inning and
Brady Hill added two hits.
In the first inning, UH used a pair of singles, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly to right field to push a run across. Hawaii scored two more runs in the second on three hits, a walk and an error and followed with a run in the fourth after a double and pair of groundouts for a 4-0 lead.
The Cougars received a boost from their bullpen as junior righthander
Brody Barnum who worked a career-high 3.2 scoreless innings and struck out three along the way.
In the eighth, WSU saw pinch-hitter
Jake Meyer start the inning with a single to right and
Brady Hill follow with a single to left. One batter later, pinch-hitter
Jack Smith hammered the first pitch he saw into the left-centerfield gap for a two-run double. Manzardo stepped in and launched the first pitch off the wall in centerfield for an RBI-double that cut the Hawaii lead to 4-3. The UH bullpen buckled down and ended the threat with foulout to the catcher and a strikeout.
Hawaii added a run in the eighth on a fielder's choice groundout to regain a two-run lead.
With one out in the ninth, Meyer reached on an infield single up the middle, Hill lined a single into left-center and
Preston Clifford worked a walk to load the bases. Smith stepped in and drove a 1-2 pitch the other way into right field that scored one. Manzardo dug in, fouled an 0-1 pitch off his foot and after a brief moment to walk it off, drove an 0-2 pitch deep to right field that the Hawaii rightfielder made a leaping catch but Hill tagged from third and tied the game at five. Following a pitching change, Van De Brake lined a pitch through the right side that the UH second baseman dove to make the stop and attempted to get the runner at second but the throw was late, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
Rosenkrantz worked a perfect ninth to preserve the 6-5 comeback win and his first career save.
Owen Leonard earned the win after working the seventh and eighth innings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Kyle Manzardo walked in the 1
st inning, has reached base in all 8 games to start 2020
Manzardo doubled in the 8
th inning, has hit safely in all 8 games to start 2020
Nate Swarts singled in the 7
th inning for his 1
st career hit
HIGHLIGHTS
NEXT UP
The Cougars will head to Peoria, Ariz. next weekend to host a three-game series with Rutgers. All three games will be played at the Peoria Sports Complex, the spring training home of the Seattle Mariners.
