ST. GEORGE, Utah (Feb. 17, 2024) – Washington State receiving six shutout innings from starting pitcher Connor Wilford in the game one win as the Cougars split a doubleheader at Utah Tech Saturday. WSU claimed the opener 8-6 behind Wilford before the Trailblazers posted a 7-4 win in game two.
 
Wilford fired a career high six innings and matched a career high with six strikeouts as the Cougars hit three home runs in the opener. Alan Shibley homered in both games, Joey Kramer and Nate Swarts each added homers in the game one win.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF GAME 1
In the fourth, Kramer gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead with a solo homer to left field on the first pitch he saw, Will Cresswell followed with a walk and Cramer hammered a 1-0 pitch deep to right-centerfield for an RBI-double and a 2-0 Cougar advantage. In the bottom of the frame, Utah Tech put two runners on but Wilford ended the threat with a fielder's choice groundout to keep the Trailblazers off the board.
 
In the fifth, Shibley jumped on a 1-0 pitch for a solo homer, his first as a Coug, and Wilford followed with perfect bottom of the fifth, striking out two along the way. Wilford closed out his day with a scoreless sixth inning before giving way to the bullpen.
 
WSU pulled away with a four runs in the eighth inning as Swarts homered off the scoreboard in left-centerfield, Shibley drove a two-run double off the left field wall and Russell pulled a two-out RBI-double just inside the third base bag to push the lead to 8-0.
 
Utah Tech rallied with six runs in the ninth off the Cougar bullpen but Jacob Gabler took over and ended the game with a flyout to right field to notch his first career save in the 8-6 win.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF GAME 2
In the first inning, both teams traded runs as Jacob Morrow singled home two runs before Utah Tech evened things with a two-run homer. Shibley gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead with a solo homer to right field in the third inning but the Trailblazers answered an inning later with an RBI-single back up the middle to even things at three in the fourth inning.
 
In the fifth, UTU took a 5-3 lead with a solo homer and an RBI-groundout before adding a run in the seventh and another in the eighth for a 7-3 advantage.
 
Casen Taggart added an RBI-single in the ninth.
 
NEXT UP
The series wraps up with a single game Sunday at 11:05 a.m. (PT).
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Kyle Russell doubled in the 8^th to extend his hitting streak to 7 games, dating back to last season