Washington State University Athletics
Washington State University
14-3, 3-1
Oregon
9-7, 1-3
Hawkins, Bullpen lead Cougars to 7-1 Win over Oregon
March 17, 2023 | Baseball
WSU improved to 14-3 overall for the its best start since 2006 and 3-1 in Pac-12 Conference play after scoring three times in the second, three more in the fourth and added another in the seventh as four Cougar pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts, tied for the third-most strikeouts in program history after doing so in the 2023 season-opening win over Villanova. The Ducks dropped to 9-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play after being held to five hits.
Cougar starting pitcher Dakota Hawkins matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts in 5.1 innings, four WSU hitters recorded multiple-hit games including Will Cresswell and Jacob McKeon who each homered. Hawkins earned the win after allowing one earned run on four hits while working into the sixth inning. McKeon doubled, homered and drove in two runs whole Cresswell hit a two-run homer and scored twice while Sam Brown walked to extend his on-base to 17 games.
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
In the second, WSU took a 1-0 lead after back-to-back doubles from Elijah Hainline and Bryce Matthews and Creswell followed with a 419-foot two-run blast to left field for a 3-0 advantage. Cresswell's third home run of the season exited his bat at 108 MPH.
Hawkins kept Oregon off the board the first four innings before three Ducks hits led to a run in the fifth but Hawkins stranded runners on second and third with a strikeout and fly out.
Reliever Cam Liss ended a scoreless sixth with a strikeout, stranding two runners while Loss, Connor Wilford and Andrew Baughn tallied seven strikeouts and held Oregon to just one hit over the final 4.2 innings.
McKeon capped the scoring with a long solo home runs off the scoreboard in left-centerfielder in the seventh.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Jacob McKeon walked in the 1st to extend his on-base streak to 16 games
Sam Brown's 14-game hitting streak snapped, walked in 3rd, has reached base in all 17 games
NEXT UP
The series continues Saturday at 2:05 p.m.
TOP SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
J-MAC off 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝘾𝙊𝙍𝙀𝘽𝙊𝘼𝙍𝘿! @jmac_1331 https://t.co/sJB1X39c6K pic.twitter.com/AL0bx2cm9U
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) March 18, 2023
THE HAWK! Well done!
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) March 18, 2023
5.1 IP | 4 H | 1 ER | 10 K | @thehawk_29 pic.twitter.com/Qah1oXPvRd
6-0 Cougs after 5! @jmac_1331 https://t.co/Q6aRD52UpU pic.twitter.com/eBLqvZjGx9
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) March 18, 2023
3-run second inning for the Cougs!@BryceMatthews24 | @w_cresswell14 https://t.co/vFH1VEMwX3 pic.twitter.com/TlVT9LwwjS
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) March 18, 2023
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hawkins, Dakota (2-2)
L: Stoffal, Jace (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Ceballos, Sabin 1 ; Cromwick, Josiah 1
RBI: Garate, Carter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Shade, Colby 1
HBP: Cromwick, Josiah 1
Batting:
2B: McKeon, Jacob 1 ; Hainline, Elijah 1 ; Matthews, Bryce 1
HR: McKeon, Jacob 1 ; Cresswell, Will 1
RBI: Advincula, Jonah 1 ; McKeon, Jacob 2 ; Matthews, Bryce 1 ; Cresswell, Will 2
SF: Advincula, Jonah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Magee, Cam 1 ; McKeon, Jacob 1 ; Hainline, Elijah 1 ; Matthews, Bryce 1 ; Cresswell, Will 2 ; Russell, Kyle 1
CS: Advincula, Jonah 1
