PULLMAN, Wash. (March 23, 2024) – Washington State starting pitcher Connor Wilford worked into the eighth inning and first baseman Joey Kramer homered and collected four hits in the series-clinching 3-2 win over Arizona State at Bailey-Brayton Field Saturday afternoon.
 
The Cougars (14-8, 4-4 Pac-12), who won Friday's opener 8-7, saw Wilford allow just one earned run over 7.1 innings while Kramer singled home a run in the first inning, hit a solo home run in the fourth and Crew Parke drove in Nate Swarts with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. Closer Chase Grillo worked a scoreless ninth for his third save of the season and 12^th of his career, tying Caden Kaelber for the seventh-most saves in program history. Swarts doubled and scored in the seventh inning while Wilford improved to 3-1 on the season after working into the eighth for the second time this season (Utah).
 
Arizona State (10-13, 3-5 Pac-12) scored once in the sixth inning but was held to just one run after loading the bases with one out in the eighth inning after a Sun Devil pinch hitter lined an 0-1 pitch right to Kyle Russell at shortstop who tossed to Parke at second for the inning-ending double play.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
In the first inning, Russell singled to right on the first pitch, Casen Taggart followed with a single deep in the hole between shortstop and third base before Kramer lined a single into centerfield to score Russell from second for the early lead.
 
In the fourth, Kramer led off the Cougar bottom half of the inning with an opposite-field solo home run to right field for a 2-0 advantage.
 
Wilford kept ASU off the board through five innings before running into trouble in the sixth. The Sun Devils loaded the bases on a leadoff throwing error, single to right field and a one-out single to center field before a run came home on a groundout but Wilford preserved the one-run lead with a fly out to left.
 
In the seventh, Swarts doubled deep to centerfield with one out, moved to third on ASU's failed pickoff attempt and scored on a Crew Parke sacrifice fly to right field, pushing the lead to 3-1.
 
In the eighth, the Sun Devils scored once and loaded the bases before the double play ended the threat. In the ninth, Grillo retired the side but not before ASU drove the ball to the wall in right-centerfield where Swarts made the catch.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Joey Kramer singled in the 1st inning to extend his on-base streak to 15 games and hitting streak to 11 games
Max Hartman singled in the 5^th inning to extend his on-base streak to 11 games
Nate Swarts doubled in the 7th inning to extend his on-base streak to all 21 games
Cole Cramer's 8-game hitting streak was snapped
 
NEXT UP
The series wraps up Sunday at 11:05 a.m.