PULLMAN, Wash. (April 28, 2024) – Washington State closed the weekend series with Fresno State with a 4-3 win at Bailey-Brayton Field Sunday afternoon.
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The Cougars (19-23) saw starting pitcher
Duke Brotherton match a career-high with 5.1 scoreless innings, third basemen
Cole Cramer collected three hits and drove in two runs and first baseman
Joey Kramer hit his team-leading eighth home run.
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Centerfielder
Nate Swarts added two hits for WSU who broke a scoreless tie with Kramer's solo homer in the fifth and added three runs in the seventh on a
Crew Parke RBI-single and a two-run infield single by Cramer.
Spencer Jones worked 3.1 innings out of the bullpen and redshirt-freshman
Rylan Haider picked up his first career save after recording the final out following a three-run home run by Fresno State in the ninth.
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FSU dropped to 27-16 overall and lead the Mountain West Conference with a 14-7 conference mark.
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KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
Both starting pitchers posted zeroes on the scoreboard the first four innings before the Cougars struck in the fifth inning. Kramer led off the inning with an opposite-field solo home run to right field for a 1-0 lead.
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In the sixth, Brotherton gave way to the bullpen with one out and a runner on second and reliever
Spencer Jones preserved the lead with a pair of popouts.
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In the seventh, Swarts pulled a two-out double down the left field line and scored on Parke's RBI-single back up the middle to push the lead to 2-0.
Max Hartman walked and
Kyle Russell was hit by a pitch to load the bases for
Cole Cramer who scored two runs on a high-chopped infield single to the second baseman for a 4-0 lead.
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In the eighth, Fresno State put runners on second and third with two outs but Jones ended the threat with a flyout to right field. In the ninth, FSU hit a three-run homer to make it a one-run game and the Cougars called upon Haider who ended the game with a flyout to right field.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Brotherton earned the win, matched a career-high with 5.1 innings
Haider picked up his 1
st career save after retiring the only batter he faced in the 9
th
Cramer matched a career-high with 3 hits, his 7th 3-hit game of the season
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NEXT UP
WSU heads to Seattle U for a Tuesday contest in Bellevue before hosting Oregon State next weekend.
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