University of Washington
Santa Clara
Huskies Take Santa Clara Series With 3-2 Win
February 21, 2005 | Baseball
Feb. 21, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Two RBIs by senior Taylor Johnson and a stellar outing from junior righty Matt Kasser led the 19th-ranked Washington baseball team to its second-straight victory Monday, a 3-2 win over Santa Clara at Buck Shaw Stadium. The two teams split a doubleheader Sunday after seeing scheduled games Friday and Saturday washed out by steady rain.
The third game of the series proved to be the best pitcher's duel of the set as Kasser and Broncos starter Anthony Rea both posted solid performances. Both pitchers allowed just five hits in seven-plus innings of work, with Kasser working seven full innings to improve to 1-1, and Rea falling to 1-1 after leaving with two outs in the eighth.
Solo home runs would account for each team's first runs of the contest. Senior Johnson opened the scoring with a long ball in the first inning to stake Washington to an early 1-0 lead, before Santa Clara's Dustin Realini evened the score in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot of his own.
The Huskies responded quickly, however, with catcher Matt Lane singling to lead off the fifth, before scoring on an RBI single by outfielder Nick Burnham to give Washington a 2-1 advantage.
That's where the scoring held until the top of the eighth, when Johnson singled home Burnham for his second RBI of the game, driving Rea from the mound. Broncos' reliever Thomas Van Buskirk, however, limited the damage to just the one run, allowing Santa Clara to attempt a two-out comeback in the bottom of the ninth.
Realini doubled down the right field line to keep SCU's hopes alive, before two balks from Husky reliever David Dowling brought Realini across home plate and cut the Husky lead to one run. Broncos catcher Kris Watts then walked, putting the tying run on base, but senior reliever Josh Conover induced a fly ball out to end the game.
Conover earned his first save of the season, while Washington won its second straight contest after opening the season with four consecutive losses.
Washington continues its season-opening road swing in College Station, Texas, this weekend, where the UW will play six games over four days in a tournament at Texas A&M. The Huskies open the tournament against host Texas A&M Friday at 5 p.m. Pacific.
LINESCORE Non-Conference Game #19 Washington 3, Santa Clara 0 Washington 100 010 010 -- 3 6 0 Santa Clara 000 100 001 -- 2 6 1 Matt Kasser, David Dowling (8), Josh Conover (9) and Matt Lane. Anthony Rea, Adam Sanabria (8), Thomas Van Buskirk (8) and Kris Watts. W - Kasser (1-1). L - Rea (1-1). Sv - Conover (1). 2B - SCU, Dustin Realini. HR - UW, Taylor Johnson (2); SCU, Realini (2). T - 2:23. A - 270.
