PEORIA, Ariz. (February 17, 2023) – Washington State senior
Dakota Hawkins matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts in five scoreless innings as the Cougars shut out Villanova 7-0 in the season-opener. The game was played at the Peoria Sports Complex, the spring training home of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.
Hawkins allowed just two hits while relief pitchers
Andrew Baughn and
Connor Wilford recorded three and four strikeouts, respectively, giving WSU pitching 17 strikeouts, tied for the third-most strikeouts in a game in program history and most since 2014.
Elijah Hainline had a two-run singled and scored twice while
Jacob Harvey also scored twice and drove in three runs including a two-run double off the wall. WSU combined for five stolen bases led by
Jonah Advincula's two while newcomers
Alan Shibley and
Sam Brown each tripled in their Cougar debuts.
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
In the second,
Will Cresswell and
Kyle Russell worked walks and a wild pitch put runners on second and third for Hainline who pulled a single to left field to score two runs. Hainline later scored on another wild pitch to make it a 3-0 game.
Hawkins settled in after surrendering a pair of walks in the second but kept Villanova off the scoreboard. The righthander struck out the side in the fourth inning and the Cougar offense started to pull away in the bottom half of the inning. With runners on the corners, Harvey just missed a three-run home run with a shot off the left field wall that plated two runs.
Jacob McKeon later added a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Harvey and push the lead to 6-0.
In the fifth, Harvey worked a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead.
Baughn and Wilford combined to retire the last 14 Villanova hitters.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Dakota Hawkins matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts (at Portland, 2022)
Alan Shibley tripled to right field in his first Cougar at-bat
Jacob Harvey's first Cougar hit was a two-run double off the left field wall in the 4
th
WSU's five stolen bases were the most since stealing 5 against Oregon in 2019
WSU has won four straight season-openers for the first time since 1977-81
WSU's last season-opening shutout win came in 1988 (10-0, Central Washington)
NEXT UP
WSU continues play in Peoria Saturday, facing UC Riverside at 11 a.m. (PT) and Villanova at 4 p.m. (PT).
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