PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State saw
Collin Montez and
Kyle Manzardo both homer in a 15-2 victory over Niagara at Bailey-Brayton Field Sunday afternoon. The Cougars (9-6) swept the four-game series with the Purple Eagles (5-8), WSU's first four-game sweep since 2017 and have won seven of their last eight games.
Manzardo capped his monster weekend with two hits, a two-run homer, two walks and five runs scored while Montez hit a three-run home run in the first inning and added a two-run single in the fourth inning.
Justin Van De Brake and
Jake Meyer each collected two hits while Meyer drove in two runs and redshirt-freshman
Payton Flynn recorded his first career hit with a pinch-hit two-run double. Four Cougar hitters recorded multiple hits to support junior
Bryce Moyle who worked four innings, allowed just two earned runs and struck a career-high five to pick up the win. Three WSU relievers combined for five no-hit innings.
In the first inning,
Jack Smith worked a walk, Manzardo lined a pitch back up the middle to put runners on for Montez who pulled a 1-1 pitch high over the right field wall for a 3-0 Cougar lead.
Niagara answered with a run on a two-out RBI-double to right-centerfield in the second and used a two-out single to center to cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth inning.
Montez was back at it in the fourth pulling a 2-2 pitch through the right side to drive in two more runs and Van De Brake followed with a sacrifice fly to center to bring home a run and push the lead to 6-2. In the fifth, the Cougars pushed a run across as
Brady Hill lined a pitch into the left-centerfield gap and raced around for an RBI-double. An inning later, WSU pulled away for good with three runs in the sixth inning as Meyer singled home a run, Garret Gouldsmith worked a bases-loaded walk and
Kodie Kolden followed with a sacrifice fly to score a run and push the lead to 10-2.
In the seventh, Meyer drove in a run with an RBI-groundout and Flynn doubled to leftcenter to plate two runs. Manzardo capped his monster weekend with long two-run homer to right-centerfield in the eighth for a 15-2 advantage.
The Cougar pitching staff received two no-hit innings from
Connor Barison in the fifth and sixth innings, two more no-hit fames from
Hayden Rosenkrantz in the seventh and eighth before
Radd Thomas worked a no-hit ninth.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
WSU has won 7 of their last 8 games
Manzardo has hit safely in all 15 games in 2020
NEXT UP
The Cougars host Gonzaga Tuesday at 3:05 p.m.
HIGHLIGHTS
