PULLMAN, Wash. (March 22, 2024) – Washington State rallied from a four-run deficit and scored the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning to post an 8-7 comeback victory in the series-opener against Arizona State at Bailey-Brayton Field Friday evening.
 
WSU (13-8, 3-4 Pac-12) saw four players record two-hit games as Casen Taggart and Jacob Morrow each hit two-run home runs in a six-run fifth inning to erase a 4-0 deficit. Leadoff hitter Max Hartman drove in the go-ahead run after beating out an infield-single to shortstop with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning. The Sun Devils (10-12, 3-4 Pac-12) pushed a run across in the ninth and put the tying run on third but Cougar closer Chase Grillo ended the game with a strikeout.
 
Senior reliever Duke Brotherton earned the win with 2.2 scoreless innings and has tallied the win in the last three Cougar victories. Senior righthander Chase Grillo recorded his 11^th career save, tying Tony Provenzo (1977-79) and Ryan Walker (2015-18) for the eighth-most saves in program history. Hartman, Taggart, first baseman Joey Kramer and Morrow each recorded two hits while centerfielder Nate Swarts had an RBI-double and scored twice.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
Arizona State built a 4-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first inning, one in the second and one more in the third but the Cougars answered in the fifth inning. Swarts put WSU on the board with an RBI-double to left field and Crew Parke scored Swarts with a run-scoring sacrifice fly to make 4-2. One batter later, Kyle Russell walked and Taggart followed with an opposite-field two-run homer to left-centerfield. Kramer pulled a two-out single to left and Morrow launched an 0-1 pitch for the go-ahead two-run shot to left.
 
In the sixth, ASU tied the game with a two-out two-run triple off the centerfield wall.
 
Both bullpens traded zeros as Brotherton posted scoreless seventh and eighth innings. WSU loaded the bases with a Morrow walk, Cole Cramer single and one-out walk to Swarts. Following a fielder's choice groundout saw ASU get the lead runner at home, Hartman chopped an infield single to shortstop and beat the throw at first to allow the go-ahead run to score. The Cougars added another run on a Sun Devil fielding error to push the lead to 8-6.
 
In the top of the ninth, ASU started the inning with an infield single and a double to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Grillo struck out the next batter, the following batter grounded out to second to score a run but the senior righthander ended the game with a strikeout, stranding the tying run on third.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Max Hartman singled in the 3rd inning to extend his on-base streak to 10 games
Joey Kramer singled in the 4^th inning to extend his on-base streak to 14 games and hitting streak to 10 games
Nate Swarts doubled in the 5th inning to extend his on-base streak to all 20 games
Cole Cramer singled in the 8th inning to extend his hitting streak to 8 games
 
NEXT UP
The series continues Saturday at 2:05 p.m.