University of Washington
Portland
UW Wins 11th Of Last 13, 5-1 Over Portland
May 12, 2004 | Baseball
May 12, 2004
SEATTLE - Senior John Otness doubled and homered in three at bats as the 13th-ranked Washington baseball team won its 11th game in its last 13 with a 5-1 victory over Portland in a non-conference game Wednesday evening at Husky Ballpark.
The win improved the UW's season record to 30-15-1 and was the Huskies' 10th straight over the Pilots (10-38).
Otness, the Husky third baseman from Tacoma, got the Husky scoring started with a solo homer to lead off the third and later doubled and scored in the seventh. In Tuesday's 20-4 win over the Pilots, he was 4-for-6 with five runs batted in.
Three Husky pitchers held Portland to four hits and didn't walk a batter all game. UW freshman Jordan Ponzoha (1-0), from Tumwater, Wash., picked up his first career victory in a pre- determined, three-inning start. Ponzoha allowed only a single over three innings, striking out two and walking none. Junior Jamie Hawkins allowed one run on two hits in his three innings and junior Josh Conover gave up only a single over the game's final three frames to pick up a save.
Portland starter Given Kutz (2-3) suffered the loss, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five in six and two-thirds innings. The loss dropped the Pilots' season record to 10-38.
In the bottom of the third inning, Otness and catcher Ben Johnson belted the first two pitches from Kutz for back-to-back homers, the ninth of the year for Otness and seventh for Johnson, giving the Huskies a 2-0 lead.
The Pilots cut that lead to 2-1 in the top of the fourth on third baseman Travis Vetters' one-out solo home run, his third of the season.
Neither team had drawn a walk until Kutz put Brent Lilliibridge and Greg Isaacson aboard on free passes in the sixth. After a wild pitch moved both runners up, Lillibridge scored on a sacrifice fly from Nick Batkoski. In the seventh, Taylor Johnson's second double of the night drove in Otness and Ben Johnson to increase the UW lead to 5-1.
Next up for the Huskies is a three-game series at USC this Friday through Sunday. Friday night, game time is 7:00 p.m. Saturday's game begins at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday's at 1:00 p.m. All three games from USC will air live on KKNW AM-1150.
LINESCORE Non-Conference #13 Washington 5, Portland 1 Portland 000 100 000 -- 1 4 1 Washington 002 001 20x -- 5 7 0 Given Kutz, Sean Sargent (7) and Jeffrey Crinklaw. Jordan Ponzoha, Jamie Hawkins (4), Josh Conover (7) and Ben Johnson. W - Ponzoha (1-0). L - Kutz (2-3). Sv - Conover (1). 2B - UW, Taylor Johnson 2, John Otness. HR - UP, Travis Vetters (3); UW, Otness (9), B. Johnson (7). T - 1:57. A - 320. Records: UP 10-38, UW 30-15-1.
