ST. GEORGE, Utah (Feb. 16, 2024) – Washington State collected 18 hits including three home runs in a 12-6 season-opening win at Utah Tech Friday.
 
WSU broke a 5-5 tie with a three-run fourth inning and pulled away with a four-run sixth inning to notch their fifth straight season-opening win and the first victory for head coach Nathan Choate in his Cougar debut.
 
Four Cougars posted three-hit games led by junior third baseman Cole Cramer who had three hits, homered, drove in five runs and was a single short of the cycle while senior catcher Jacob Morrow and junior designated hitter Casen Taggart each homered. Redshirt-junior outfielder Alan Shibley had three hits including a pair of doubles, Taggart had three hits, three RBI and scored three times and senior infielder Crew Parke added three hits.
 
Cougar starting pitcher Grant Taylor worked five innings to earn his 11^th career win, senior reliever Andrew Baughn worked the sixth and seventh innings before redshirt-freshman righthander Rylan Haider made his collegiate debut with scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
In the second inning, WSU answered a two-run Utah Tech first inning with four runs beginning with an RBI-double from Cole Cramer who fouled off five straight two-strike pitches before pulling a double to left to put the Cougars on the board. Crew Parke added a run-scoring sacrifice fly, Max Hartman and a two-out RBI-single from Kyle Russell through the left side.
 
Utah Tech answered with two in the second before Morrow led off the Cougar third inning with a solo homer to right-centerfield but UTU answered with their own solo shot in the bottom of the frame to even things at five.
 
In the fourth, Shibley pulled a leadoff double down the right field line and Taggert later drove a two-strike pitch the other way for a two-run homer to left field. Morrow added a single and Cramer tripled to deep right field for an 8-5 Cougar lead.
 
Taylor settled in and fired scoreless fourth and fifth innings before the Cougar bats erupted for a four runs in the sixth highlighted by Cramer's three-run blast to centerfield.
 
In the seventh, Utah Tech loaded the bases and pushed a run across before reliever Andrew Baughn ended the threat with a 4-6-3 double play.
 
NEXT UP
The series continues Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 11:05 a.m. (PT).
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Kyle Russell singled in the 2^nd to extend his hitting streak to 6 gamed, dating back to last season
Jacob Morrow hit his 2^nd career home run
Casen Taggart and Cole Cramer each homered in their Cougar debuts