FRESNO, Calif. (April 25, 2025) – Washington State brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth inning but Fresno State held on for a 6-3 series-opening win Friday evening.
The Cougars received two hits from
Griffin Myers and RBI-doubles from
Logan Johnstone and
Jack Weise while starter
Griffin Smith worked six innings.
Jonah Shull and
Kyler Northrop each singled and scored a run. WSU combined to leave six runners on base.
Fresno State took advantage of a WSU throwing error on a bunt play that led to a three-run third inning to back Bulldog starter Jack Anker who struck out eight over eight innings.
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
Both starting pitchers traded zeros throughout the evening but Fresno State took advantage of a Cougar miscue in the third inning. With runners on first and second, an FSU bunt was fielded but thrown wide of third base while trying to get the lead runner and one run scored on the play. The Bulldogs followed with an RBI-single to left and later scored on an RBI-groundout to shortstop for a 3-0 lead.
The Cougars threatened in the fifth inning as Cresswell pulled a leadoff single to left and Myers followed with a line drive single off the right field wall that was nearly caught, keeping Cresswell close to the bag so he was held at third base. The ace Jack Anker buckled down and struck out the next three hitters to strand both Cougar baserunners.
FSU added two runs in the sixth after a leadoff triple, an RBI-bloop single over a drawn-in infield and an RBI-single to right field for a 5-0 advantage.
In the eighth,
Jonah Shull led off the inning with a line drive single to centerfield and Northrop poked a one-out single to right field to put runners on the corners. Roy followed with an RBI-infield single and one batter later, Johnstone lined a two-out RBI-double down the left field line to make it 5-2. With the tying run at the plate, FSU ace Jack Anker ended the threat with a groundout to second base for the third out.
In the ninth, Weise doubled to right-centerfield to drive in a run before FSU closed out the game with a groundout.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Kyler Northrop singled in the 8
th to extend his hitting streak to 13 games
Logan Johnstone doubled in the 8
th to extend his on-base streak to 14 games and hitting streak to 12 games
NEXT UP
The series continues Saturday at 3:05 p.m.