PEORIA, Ariz. (February 18, 2023) – Washington State combined for 39 runs in a doubleheader sweep over UC Riverside 17-4 and Villanova 22-7 at the Peoria Sports Complex Saturday.
 
In the game one win over UC Riverside, Jonah Advincula erupted for four hits, two homers, a double, a triple and eight RBI, the second-most RBI in WSU single-game history. Kyle Russell collected three hits and scored four times, Greg Fuchs doubled twice and scored three times, Elijah Hainline homered and scored three times and Cam Magee also hit a three-run home run.
 
Senior starter Caden Kaelber picked up the win with eight strikeouts and one earned run in six innings.
 
In game two, WSU's 22 runs tied for the sixth-most in WSU single-game history, tallied 16 hits and a WSU single-game record nine hit-by-pitches. Five Cougars recorded multiple-hit games led by Hainline's four-hit performance while Cam Magee homered and drove in four runs while Jacob Morrow added two RBI and three runs scored in his Cougar debut. Reliever Elias Farland earned his first career win after working 2.2 innings.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF GAME 1
In the first, UCR pushed a run across on a wild pitch but the Cougars answered with three runs in the second inning. Russell evened things up with an RBI-double to left field to score Greg Fuchs who had walked and two batters late, Advincula punched a ball the other way down the left field to score two runs and give WSU a 3-1 lead.
 
In the third, Will Cresswell singled up the middle and Fuchs followed with a double deep to right field to score Cresswell from first base. Following a walk and throwing error, the Cougars added two more runs on an Elijah Hainline sacrifice fly and a Jacob Harvey RBI-groundout for a 6-1 advantage.
 
WSU used the long ball to pull away in the fifth innings as Hainline hit a two-run shot to left field and Advincula followed one batter later with a two-run shot down the right field line for his first homer of the day.
 
Kaelber settled in after allowing a first-inning run and posted zeros while working through six innings and ended his afternoon with a groundball double play to close the sixth.
 
In the Cougar sixth, Magee hammered the first pitch he saw as pinch-hitter for a three-run homer to right field and a 13-1 lead. Advincula capped the day with a grand slam to right in the eighth, despite only needing a single for the cycle.
 
INSIDE THE GAME 1 BOX SCORE
Greg Fuchs recorded his 1^st Coug hit, an RBI-double to right field in the 2nd
Caden Kaelber made his second career start, earned win with career-highs 6 IP, 8 K
Advincula's 8 RBI are the second-most in WSU single-game history
Reliever Andrew Baughn retired the only batter he faced for the final out of the 7^th inning, has made 2 appearances in the first two games
Freshman Ryan Orr made his collegiate debut, worked the final 2 innings scoreless
 
KEY MOMENTS OF GAME 2
In the second, Villanova pushed a run across after a WSU fielding error but the Cougs answered with three in the bottom half. Hainline beat out an infield single to third base as Russell raced home, Magee followed with an RBI-single back up the middle and Advincula brought home another run with a squeeze bunt.
 
The Wildcats made a one-run game in the third and loaded the bases but WSU reliever Spencer Jones entered the game and ended the threat with a 4-6-3 double play. Jones ended the fourth with another double play to escape a bases loaded jam.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Nate Swarts doubled home a run and the Cougs added two more runs to push the lead to 9-2. Villanova pushed four runs across in the fifth inning to cut the Cougar lead to 9-6.
 
Villanova pushed a run across in the seventh but WSU came right back with two runs in the seventh on a Morrow sacrifice fly and a Hainline RBI-single to left for 12-7 advantage. WSU tallied 10 runs in the ninth to seal up the win.
 
INSIDE THE GAME 2 BOX SCORE
Spencer Jones made his WSU debut
Cam Magee hit his 2^nd three-run homer of the day
Five Cougars recorded multiple-hit games
 
NEXT UP
WSU wraps up play in Peoria Sunday against UC Riverside at 11 a.m. (PT).
 
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