Cougars Clinch Series with a 11-8 Win over Arizona

Saturday, April 15

Pullman, WA

3:00 PM

Washington State University

21-12, 7-9

Arizona

17-15, 5-12

Arizona

Washington State

April 15, 2023 | Baseball

Box Score Game Highlights Brian Green Postgame Jacob McKeon Postgame Pac-12 Networks Recap

By: Washington State Athletic Communications

PULLMAN, Wash. (April 15, 2023) – Washington State collected 16 hits in a series-clinching 11-8 win over Arizona at Bailey-Brayton Field Saturday afternoon.

WSU (21-12, 7-9 Pac-12) tallied a season-high 16 hits in Pac-12 play as five players recorded multiple-hits led by Jacob McKeon's 4-for-5 day with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored. Sam Brown tallied three hits, finishing a home run shy of the cycle to go along with two RBI and two runs scored. Jonah Advincula collected two hits and scored three runs while Kyle Russell added two hits and Elijah Hainline hit a 454-foot home run.

Five Cougar pitchers worked as Andrew Baughn picked up the win with 1.2 innings for relief to improve to 5-0 while Spencer Jones worked 2.1 innings, Shane Spencer recorded a pair of big outs to start the ninth and Chase Grillo earned his sixth save with a strikeout in the ninth.

Arizona (17-15, 5-12 Pac-12) scored three times in the first but WSU answered with three in their half of the first before scoring five runs in the fourth and added sing runs in the fifth and seventh.

KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
In the first, Arizona used four hits to score three runs but the Cougars came right back with three of their own in the bottom of the inning. McKeon bounced a single up the middle that Arizona knocked down but the speedy Jonah Advincula scored from second on the play. Jake Harvey followed with an RBI-single into centerfield and Cam Magee evened things up with an opposite-field RBI-single into left field.

In the third, Hainline gave WSU a 4-3 lead with a towering 454-foot solo homer to left field for the longest Cougar homer of the season. Arizona answered with a run in the fourth to tie things up.

In the bottom of the fourth, McKeon gave WSU the lead with a triple to right-centerfield to score Advincula from first and Brown followed with an RBI-double to right field on the next pitch to push the lead to 6-4. Magee later worked a nine-pitch at-bat before bouncing a ball to third base where an Arizona error allowed two runs to score. Will Cresswell capped the five-run inning with an opposite-field RBI-single through the right side for a 9-4 advantage.

Spencer Jones fired a 1-2-3 seventh inning before Brown pushed the lead to 11-6 with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning. Arizona scored twice in the ninth before Grillo entered from the bullpen and struck out the final batter.

NEXT UP
The series wraps up Sunday at 12:05 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Jonah Advincula singled in the 1st, has reached base in 11 straight games
Jacob McKeon singled in the 1st to extend his on-base streak to 11 games and hitting streak to 9
Kyle Russell singled in the 1^st to extend his on-base streak to 12 games
Sam Brown reached on an infield single in the 2^nd to extend his on-base streak to 10 games

TOP SOCIAL POSTS

WSU clinches series wins over Arizona in back-to-back seasons for the 1st time since 2006-07!#GoCougs | #T124 | #WAZZU pic.twitter.com/mka8zfw0MV
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) April 16, 2023

J-MAC for the lead! @jmac_1331

WATCH | https://t.co/AwM0O5GEcE pic.twitter.com/wlW1xkDPtt
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) April 15, 2023

4⃣5⃣4⃣ for Big E!

The longest home run at Bailey-Brayton this season is home run No. 7 for @ElijahHainline https://t.co/m8DYqhgGxX pic.twitter.com/0M0uKmgw0M
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) April 15, 2023

The big fella ends the 3rd with his 5th K of the day! @cadenkaelber19

WATCH | https://t.co/AwM0O5GEcE pic.twitter.com/h58a3bgyp1
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) April 15, 2023

3⃣-run 1st for the Cougs! #GoCougs | #WAZZU https://t.co/MbZq9f9tYq pic.twitter.com/342dyyOy0l
— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) April 15, 2023