PULLMAN, Wash. (May 18, 2023) – Washington State put the tying run on third base in the tenth inning but Stanford ended the rally with a double play as the Cougars dropped the series-opener to No. 3 Stanford 7-6 at Bailey-Brayton Field Thursday evening.
 
The Cougars dropped to 29-21 overall and 10-17 in Pac-12 Conference play after Stanford (35-14, 21-7 Pac-12) tied the game with a three-run home run in the seventh and hit a pair of solo home runs in the tenth inning.
 
WSU received five hits including a pair of home runs from Jacob McKeon while Bryce Matthews added three hits including a homer and Sam Brown also homered. Brown and McKeon went back-to-back homers in the first inning before McKeon and Matthews went back-to-back in the third.
 
WSU received an impressive start from Dakota Hawkins who worked into the seventh and held the Cardinal to three earned runs and struck out eight to push his season strikeout total to 92, ninth-most in WSU single-season history.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
Brown gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead with a long solo homer on the first pitch he saw in the first inning and McKeon followed with a line-drive solo home run to left-centerfield for a 2-0 lead.
 
In the third, the Cougars again used the long ball to put up a pair of runs as McKeon and Matthews hit back-to-back solo home runs for a 4-1 WSU lead. In the fourth, Jonah Advincula tripled to left-centerfield and later scored on Brown's opposite-field RBI-single through the left side.
 
Hawkins allowed single runs in the second and fifth innings but was impressive throughout the night, ending the sixth with his eighth strikeout of the night.
 
In the seventh, Stanford worked a leadoff walk and the next battered singled to right field to chase Hawkins.  The Cougar bullpen recorded two outs but Stanford hit a two-out three-run home run to left-centerfield to tie the game at five.
 
WSU nearly scored the go-ahead run in the eighth as Advincula raced home on a wild pitch and was initially called safe after a diving tag attempt by the Stanford catcher but after review, was called out to end the eighth.
 
In the ninth, Kyle Russell worked a two-out walk but Stanford ended the threat with a strikeout.
 
In the tenth, the Cardinal took the lead with a pair of solo home runs to centerfield. The first two Cougar hitters walked to start the tenth and following a strikeout, McKeon pulled an RBI-single through the left side to score Jake Harvey and make it a one-run game as Advincula raced around to third on the play. The Stanford closer ended the comeback with a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.
 
NEXT UP
The series continues Friday at 3:05 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sam Brown homered in the 1st to extend his on-base streak to 27 games and hitting streak to 6
Jacob McKeon homered in the 1st to extend his on-base streak to 28 games and hitting streak to 9
McKeon recorded a career-high 5 hits, WSU's first 5-hit game since Kodie Kolden in 2021 at Dixie State