Follow the Washington State Cougars on the road to the College World Series! Questions or comments? Please direct them to Craig Lawson, Assistant Director, Sports Information, Washington State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, at craigl@wsu.edu.
NCAA Tournament Central
MAY 31, 2009 (GAME 3-OKLAHOMA)
Top of the First - Sophomore Garry Kuykendall dropped down a bunt that Oklahoma third baseman Garrett Buechele could not handle and the Sooner was charged with an error. Redshirt-sophomore Jay Ponciano moved Kuykendall to second with a sacrifice bunt. After freshman Derek Jones struck out on a 3-2 pitch, Kuykendall stole third with senior Jared Prince at the plate. Prince ended up flying out to the warning track in center field and the Cougars failed to score.
Bottom of the First - Jamie Johnson battled for seven pitches and drew a walk against WSU redshirt-freshman starter David Stilley. Matt Harughty executed a fake blunt, slash that Cougar sophomore third baseman Matt Argyropoulos made a fine back-handed play on as he was charging and threw to second base for a force out. With Johnson running, Bryant Hernandez hit a home run well over the left field wall for a 2-0 Oklahoma lead. After a J.T. Wise single, Aaron Baker beat out a bunt single and Wise took third when Argyropoulos's throw to first was wide. Stilley prevented further damage by striking out Buechele and getting Trey Sperring on a fly ball to right.
Top of the Second - Senior Greg Lagreid walked on four pitches to open the inning and the Cougars caught a break when the shortstop Hernandez overan junior Michael Weber's foul pop and the ball fell for a strike. Weber made the Sooners pay when he launched a ball over the right field wall onto the berm to tie the game 2-2. Sophomore Shea Vucinich grounded out to third on a back-handed pick of a short hop near the bag by Beuchele. Senior Alex Burg could not hold up on a check swing strike three. Argyropoulos singled up the middle, but Kuykendall stuck out looking to end the inning.
Bottom of the Second - A walk and a sacrifice bunt gave Oklahoma a runner at second with one out and top the of the order coming up. Jamie Johnson lined out to left and Harughty chopped to third and it was 2-2 after two.
Top of the Third - The Cougars went down in order on fly balls to center by Ponciano and Prince, respectively, sandwiched around a strikeout by Jones.
Bottom of the Third - Stilley worked a quick 1-2-3 inning including a pair of strikeouts.
Top of the Fourth - Lagreid fouled out when Wise, the Oklahoma catcher, made a one-handed catch against the padding at the backstop near the Sooners' third base dugout. Weber struck out and Vucinich grounded to third and Oklahoma starter Garrett Richards has retired seven in a row.
Bottom of the Fourth - The Sooners are gone in order again, this time on three fly balls, and Stilley has set down the last nine men he has faced.
Top of the Fifth - Burg and Argyropoulos struck out, Kuykendall singled through the left side, and Ponciano flied out to center.
Bottom of the Fifth - Tyler Ogle was retired on a fly ball to shallow right that second baseman Weber lost in the sun, but right fielder Prince snared with a diving catch. A single, strikeout and walk gave the Sooners runners at first and second with two outs for Wise, the Sooners' cleanup hitter. Wise laced the first pitch he saw, but Kuykendall hauled it in at the wall in center to keep the game tied.
Top of the Sixth - Jones flew out to right, Prince was hit by a pitch for the 41st time in his career, second most all-time at WSU, and Lagreid grounded into a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play.
Bottom of the Sixth - With one out, Stilley hit Buechele on a 0-1 pitch. However, the home plate umpire ruled Buechele threw his elbow into the pitch and did not allow him first base. Later in the at bat, Buechele singled up the middle. Stilley retired the next two batters on fly balls to end the inning.
Top of the Seventh - Chris Ellison entered the game in right field for Oklahoma, replacing Ogle and batting ninth. Weber popped out, Vucinich grounded out, Burg singled off the second baseman's glove, and Argyropoulos struck out.
Bottom of the Seventh - Ellison singled through the right side and Jamie Johnson was hit by a 1-2 pitch to put runners at first and second with no one out. Junior Connor Lambert came out of the bullpen. Stilley gave up two runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts in six-plus innings. He threw 90 pitches, 56 for strikes, and was responsible for the two runners aboard. Harugty beat out a bunt single to load the bases. Lambert struck out the No. 3 hitter Hernandez, but Wise collected an infield hit off the glove of a diving Argyropoulos at third. Freshman Adam Conley relieved Lambert. The first pitch from the Cougar southpaw was belted over the right field wall by Aaron Baker for a grand slam and a 7-2 Oklahoma lead. Junior Seth Harvey replaced Conley. Harvey hit Buechle with the first pitch he threw. Harvey struck out pinch hitter Ross Hubbard and retired Casey Johnson on a shallow fly ball to the hshortstop Vucinich in left.
Top of the Eighth - Kuykendall grounded out and Ponciano singled to center. Jones struck out as Ponciano advanced to second on a wild pitch. Prince grounded to first with the pitcher covering.
Bottom of the Eighth - Harvey struck out the side in order and the Cougars trailed 7-2 entering the ninth.
Top of the Ninth - Lagreid struck out looking, Weber grounded out to first and Vucinich flied out to right. Garrett Richards threw a complete game five-hitter for the Sooners and struck out 10. WSU's season ended at 32-25.
MAY 30, 2009 (Travis Jewett Entry)
Boy our pitching really picked us up today. You would have to ask our pitching coach Gregg Swenson for his opinion, but I think that was the best game Chad Arnold has thrown for us.
S
I have to make this brief because I am heading back to Norman so I can watch the Arkansas-Oklahoma game tonight. I do want to say how proud I am of our guys.
Wichita State's Jordan Cooper pitched great all day and held us to three hits, but two of them went over the fence and we got out of there with a victory. We are still alive and will get the Razorbacks or Sooners tomorrow at 11 a.m. Pacific.
Thank you for your continued support.
MAY 30, 2009 (GAME 2-WICHITA STATE)
Top of the First - Redshirt-sophomore Chad Arnold walked the first batter of the game before striking out Wichita State's 2-3-4 hitters.
Bottom of the First - Sophomore Garry Kuykendall flied out, redshirt-sophomore Jay Ponciano grounded out and freshman Derek Jones struck out.
Top of the Second - Arnold punches out two more during a 1-2-3 inning.
Bottom of the Second - Senior Jared Prince lined out, senior Greg Lagreid reached on an error, junior Michael Weber flied out and sophomore Shea Vucinich struck out.
Top of the Third - Arnold struck out Bret Bascue to open the inning, but reached on a wild pitch. Chance Sossaman dropped down a good sacrifice bunt, but when Arnold's throw to senior Alex Burg at first base head Sossaman, interference was called. Sossaman was ruled out and Bascue was required to return to first. After a single, Cody Lassley hit a double play ball to Vucinich at shortstop that went for an error to load the bases. Ryan Jones followed with a sacrifice fly for the game's first run and Arnold retired Clinton McKeever on a fly ball to end the inning.
Bottom of the Third - After Burg struck out, sophomore Matt Argyropoulos singled through the right side. Shockers' starter Jordan Cooper struck out Kuykendall and Ponciano to end the inning.
Top of the Fourth - Chris O'Brien opened the inning with a single through the right side, but was erased when he got caught in a rundown trying to steal second. A ground out and a pop up took care of the frame.
Bottom of the Fourth - Jones struck out, Prince lined out hard to left, Lagreid was hit by a pitch and Weber grounded out on a nice play by his counterpart Will Baez.
Top of the Fifth - Arnold worked around a one-out walk by retiring the first two batters in the Wichita State order to strand a runner.
Bottom of the Fifth - Vucinich struck out looking, Burg flied to right and Argyropoulos bounced to short in a 1-2-3 inning.
Top of the Sixth - Jones made a catch on the warning track in left center and Vucinich did a good job to back up, field an in-between hop on a ground ball, and make a strong throw to set down the first two Shockers. After a single, Ryan Engrav flew out to end the inning.
Bottom of the Sixth - Kuykendall grounded out on the first pitch and Ponciano was issued a four-pitch walk. Jones then hit a line drive home run to right field on the first pitch he saw. His bomb gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead and tied the Washington State freshman school record with 12 (Jason Grove, 1998 and Stefan Bailie, 2000). Prince launched the next pitch over the left field wall and the Cougars extended their lead to 3-1. Lagreid was robbed of a hit by a leaping of a line drive at shortstop Taylor Brown and Weber struck out, but Washington State takes a 3-1 lead to the seventh.
Top of the Seventh - Mitch Caster pinch hit with one out and singled through the left side. Arnold then fanned Sossamon for his eighth strikeout, to tie a career high before Baez singled through the left side to put runners at first and second with two outs. Ponciano made a nice stop on a breaking ball in the dirt with a 1-2 count and Arnold ended up fanning Lassley for his career-best ninth strikeout in a game.
Bottom of the Seventh - Caster stayed in the game to play left field. Vucinich grounded out on the first pitch and Burg struck out looking. Argyropoulos reached on an error by Sossamon at third. Kuykendall flied out to center to end the inning.
Top of the Eighth - Wichita Stats's Jones homered to right and the Cougars' lead was 3-2. After Arnold notched his 10th strikeout of the day, he fell behind 2-0 to O'Brien and was lifted in favor of freshman Adam Conley. It is the 24th appearance of the season for Conley, a Cougar school record for a freshman. The southpaw's first two pitches completed the walk charged to Arnold. Conley struck out Engrav looking for the second out. The Shockers went to their bench for pinch hitter Josh Rosecrans and the Cougars countered with junior right-hander Connor Lambert out of the bullpen. Rosecrans skied to Prince in right field and Washington State looks for insurance in the home half of the eighth.
Bottom of the Eighth - Sossaman moved from third to shortstop, O'Brien, the designated hitter entered the game at third, so Wichita State's pitcher Cooper is now batting in the seventh spot and the Shockers lost their designated hitter. Cooper struck out Ponciano to tie his career high with 10 and Jones hit a ball to 385-foot sign in left center that was caught by the left fielder Caster. Prince was hit by a pitch and Lagreid flied out to end the inning.
Top of the Ninth - Redshirt-junior closer Jeremy Johnson came in to pitch the ninth. After a foul out, Sossamon singled to left and was replaced by pinch runner Andrew Letourneau. With Letourneau running, Baez hit a hard ground ball to short. Vucinich backed up to play the in-between hop and his throw to first was dug out by Burg for the second out. A soft line drive to Weber at second and the Cougars have their first NCAA postseason victory since 1990. Washington State will play the loser of Arkansas-Oklahoma, Sunday at 11 a.m. Pacific.
MAY 29, 2009 (GAME 1-ARKANSAS)
Top of the First - Sophomore Garry Kuykendall drilled a single that caromed off the foot of Arkansas starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel into right field and stole second. Sophomore Shea Vucinich drilled a ball right at the shortstop and Kuykendall was unable to advance. Senior Greg Lagreid's ground out moved Kuykendall to third and senior Jared Prince walked to put runners at the corners with two outs. The threat died when freshman Derek Jones hit a comebacker on the first pitch.
Bottom of the First - Chase Leavitt was hit by a pitch to open the inning against senior Matt Way. With one out, Leavitt stole second and with two outs he took third on a passed ball. Andy Wilkins followed with a double off the base of the wall in left-center and Arkansas grabbed 1-0 lead.
Top of the Second - Redshirt-sophomore Jay Ponciano grounded to short on the first pitch and junior Michael Weber battled for an 11-pitch at bat that resulted in another grounder to short. Junior Matt Fanelli was robbed of extra bases on a diving catch by Leavitt down the left field line to end the inning.
Bottom of the Second - Way retired the Razorbacks in order on a pair of strikeouts and soft fly ball to center.
Top of the Third - With one out, Kuykendall collected his second hit of the game, a single to left-center. Vucinich followed with a single to center to put runners at first and second. Lagreid then chopped a ball up the middle that appeared as though it may be an inning-ending double play. However, the last hop was a fortunate one for the Cougars as it went past the Arkansas shortstop Ben Tschepikow into center field for a RBI-single to tie the game 1-1. Prince smashed a ball past a diving Zack Cox at third base into left field for a 2-1 lead. Jones and Ponciano ended the frame with back-to-back ground outs to shortstop.
Bottom of the Third - Way worked around a one-out walk to preserve WSU's one-run lead. The left-hander has six strikeouts and is one shy of Aaron Sele's single-season school record of 121 set in 1990.
Top of the Fourth - Fanelli chopped a one-out single back up the middle, but was picked off with redshirt-sophomore Cody Bartlett at the plate. Barlett rifled a ball off the 385-foot sign in right center for a long single and Kuykendall fouled out to end the inning.
Bottom of the Fourth - Way yielded a lead-off single to Wilkins, but came back to strike out the side and break Sele's record. He is now at 123 punch outs this season and the Cougs still lead 2-1.
Top of the Fifth - Vucinich reached to open the inning when Tschepikow finally misplayed a ball at short. Lagreid's soft grounder to second moved Vucinich up 90 feet. Prince sent a bullet up the middle that Keuchel deflected to Bo Bigham at second base. Bigham threw to first for the second out while Vucinich took third. Jones tried to bunt for a hit, but Keuchel made an athletic play and his throw beat Jones by a step to retire the side.
Bottom of the Fifth - Bartlett booted a ground ball with one out, but Way induced back-to-back pops up to Vucinich at short to prevent any damage.
Top of the Sixth - With one out, Weber was hit by a pitch. Fanelli dropped down a beautiful push bunt to the right side for a single that gave the Cougars runners at first and second. WSU stayed out of the double play by starting the runners and Bartlett's ground ball to short moved the runners to second and third. Kuykendall tapped out to second base and the Cougars were turned away.
Bottom of the Sixth - The Razorbacks picked up their third hit of the game on a two-out single up the middle by Bo Bigham. Jarrod McKinney worked a walk on a 3-2 pitch. Way squelched the threat with his 10th strikeout on his 108th pitch of the afternoon.
Top of the Seventh - Vucinich laced a ball into the left-center field gap that rolled to the wall near the 411-foot sign. He was running hard all the way and wound up with a triple. With the Arkansas infield playing in, Lagreid hit a lazy fly ball to left-center. It was deep enough to score Vucinich and Lagreid reached when centerfielder Collin Kuhn dropped the ball. Prince was hit by a 1-2 pitch to put runners at first and second. Jones was given a chance to swing away on a 2-0 pitch, then recorded a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to Ponciano loaded the bases. Weber took a called third strike on the outside corner and Fanelli was robbed of extra bases when McKinney made a diving catch on the warning track with his back to the infield. The Cougars lead 3-1, but have left 11 runners on base as we head to the stretch.
Bottom of the Seventh - Adam Conley relieved Way and set the Razorbacks down 1-2-3 on 11 pitches. It is the 23rd appearance of the season for the southpaw and ties the WSU freshman record set by Rob Nichols in 1987. The final line for Way is one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks in his six innings of work.
Top of the Eighth - Mike Bolsinger came in out of the Arkansas bullpen and retired the Cougars in order.
Bottom of the Eighth - Tschepikow led off with a chop double over the head of Fanelli at first. Redshirt-junior Jeremy Johnson relieved Conley looking for six outs and his 10th save of the season. Lyons hit a towering fly ball to deep left field for the first out and Tschepikow tagged and advanced to third. Wilkins had a nine-pitch battle with Johnson and singled to cut the WSU lead to 3-2. Prince made a nice play in right-center to hold Wilkins to a single. Bigham dunked a single into left-center and the Hogs have runners at the corners. McKinney executed a safety squeeze to perfection that tied the game 3-3. Cox hit a shot to shortstop. Vucinich made a nice play to field the ball, but his throw to first was high and glanced off the glove of Fanelli for an error as Bigham scored to give Arkansas a 4-3 lead. Pinch hitter Jacob House flared a single into left-center to put runners at the corners again. Collin Kuhn beat out a bunt to third and another run scored to make it 5-3. A hit batter loaded the bases and Tschepikow bounced a two-strike single up the middle for two runs and a 7-3 lead. Sophomore James Wise entered in relief of Johnson. Scott Lyons hti the first pitch from Wise over the left-center field fence for a three-run home run and a 10-3 advantage. A fly out ended the inning and WSU needs a ninth inning rally.
Top of the Ninth - Lagreid popped out on the first pitch. Prince hit a ball hard ground ball up the middle, but it was cut off by Tschepikow for the second out. Jones flew out to left to end the game.
MAY 28, 2009 (PART TWO)
Hi, it's coach Jewett again. We are back at the hotel after our regional tournament meal. All four teams were treated to a BBQ meal complete with all the fixings. salad, green beans, white bread, sausage, brisket and some sweet tea.
We had a good practice today under sunny skies. Tomorrow we expect the same weather, mid to upper 80s with low humidity. As a hitting guy, I am always checking the weather forecast. The locals say it's going to be 10-20 mph from the south, which means at the yard, it will be left to left center. So, I told the guys, see the ball up and LET IT FLY!
Our guys are feeling loose and confident and I certainly expect that to carry through in tomorrow's game. Our team host Calvin, like all the Oklahoma people we have met so far, has provided plenty of southern hospitality.
Curfew is about an hour away. Tomorrow is game day and as usual with Matt Way on the mound we are wearing our crimson tops and pinstriped pants, Matty's favorite combo for victory.
The hay is in the barn and I am confident we will get after it tomorrow. Take care and Go Cougs!
MAY 28, 2009 (PART ONE)
We have arrived in Norman!
Oklahoma's L. Dale Mitchell Park is the site of today's practice. The dimensions are 335 down the lines, 385 in the power alleys and 411 to center. Already, junior Matt Fanelli has left the yard during batting practice.
I am Craig Lawson, the sports information contact for Cougar baseball, and I am writing this entry for Travis while he throws batting practice. The NCAA regulates our time so we literally took the field for stretching as tomorrow's opponent Arkansas was leaving the facility.
After some infield/outfield practice we are taking some rounds in the batting cage. Senior Greg Lagreid just went deep over the left field wall. Our practice is business as usual for the Cougars. Coach Donnie Marbut and the staff do not want to change our routine as we prepare for the postseason.
Travis is so enthusiastic as he continues to throw batting practice. Junior Michael Weber just stung a line drive and I heard Travis yell, "Yes, we are in NORMAN!"
One more note. If you live in the Pullman/Moscow region, all games this weekend will be broadcast on 104.3 FM KHTR. For those who live in the Spokane area, games will be broadcast on 700 AM KXLX.
We will be heading to some media obligations after practice, then back on the bus for the short drive to Oklahoma City. There is a team dinner tonight and coach Jewett will offer his thoughts on the day at some point tonight.
MAY 27, 2009
Howdy from Oklahoma City!
I am Associate Head Coach Travis Jewett and I will be providing updates of our trip as we take part in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship's Norman Regional.
The day begin around 8:30 a.m. with short bus ride from Bohler Athletic Complex to the Pullman-Moscow Airport. Our travel party consists of our NCAA roster, support staff, coaches, wives and children. For me, it is a blessing to have my family be able to take part is the experience with me.
We had a charter flight from Pullman to Oklahoma City. We were spoiled during the entire trip. Our student-athletes were wide-eyed about the luxury accommodations and I was very happy to see them treated like big leaguers. They have certainly worked hard and deserved this experience.
Each seat was first class style, those of you who have had that opportunity know what I am talking about. There were tables set up in the back for card games and the four flight attendants made sure we had drinks and snacks at all times. Halfway through the flight, there were freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
It was a great experience. Our bus pulled up right next to the plane, our bags were loaded and unloaded for us both in Pullman and Oklahoma City and the entire trip was smooth and done in less than four hours.
Our hotel is the Renaissance in Downtown Oklahoma City and we are just a few blocks from the stadium where the Texas Rangers' AAA team plays. The student-athletes checked in to their rooms, had something to eat and will have some free time before we head to Norman tomorrow, which about 25 miles away.
Tomorrow, we have an assigned practice time at Oklahoma's L. Dale Mitchell Park where we can get a light workout. It will be good for our younger guys to get a feel for how the ball hops on the ground and flies in the air. It will also be nice for our veterans to get reacquainted with a park where we had some success last season.
There will be some media oligations after practice and a team dinner in the evening for all the regional participants. Thank you to all our fans for your support throughout the season. We plan to make you proud of us. I can already feel the excitement in the air!
Please check back often and follow us during our postseason journey. For now, I am off to the pool to take a dip with my boys.
