PULLMAN, Wash. – Sophomore
Kyle Manzardo hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth inning to lift Washington State past Niagara 6-3 Friday afternoon at Bailey-Brayton Field. Manzardo's homer broke a 3-3 tie and gave WSU (7-6) the second game of the four-game series with the Purple Eagles (5-6).
Manzardo finished with two hits and four RBI, extending his hitting streak to 13 games with a fourth-inning RBI-single.
Jack Smith added two hits including a two-run home run in the sixth inning for his first career homer and
Justin Van De Brake added two hits while
Preston Clifford singled and scored twice from the leadoff spot.
Cougar starter
Zane Mills worked six innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits and struck out seven but earned a no-decision. Reliever
Connor Barison picked up the win after working two innings and
Owen Leonard closed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save.
Niagara starter Jacob Bruning kept the Cougars off balance most of the day, working into the seventh and allowed three runs on four hits and struck out five.
Both starting pitchers were efficient in the early innings as Mills ended the second and third innings with a pair of double plays. In the fourth, Clifford led off the frame with a single into left-centerfield, was bunted to second by Smith and came around to score on a Manzardo RBI-single through the right side for a 1-0 lead.
Niagara answered with a run by playing small ball in the fifth inning, using a leadoff walk, a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt to runner on third that came home on an RBI-groundout, tying the game at one. The Purple Eagles came right back with an RBI-double to right-centerfield for a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Clifford worked a one-out walk and Smith followed by pulling an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left for the go-ahead two-run homer. In the seventh, Niagara greeted the Cougar bullpen with a leadoff double down the left field line later tied things up with a sacrifice fly.
In the eighth,
Garrett Gouldsmith beat out an infield single to shortstop with out and one batter later, Smith lined a single to left before Manzardo launched the first pitch he saw over the wall in right-centerfield for the three-run advantage.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Manzardo has hit safely in all 13 games in 2020
Smith hit his first career home run
Van De Brake recorded his 7
th multiple-hit game in the last 9 games
NEXT UP
The series continues Saturday at 3:05 p.m. First pitch was pushed back from 1:05 p.m. due to
HIGHLIGHTS
