UW Watches Lead Slip Away, Falls 6-3 To UC Riverside

Sunday, February 25

Seattle, WA

12:05 PM

University of Washington

4-3

UC Riverside

3-4

UC Riverside

Washington

February 25, 2018 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Brian Tom

SEATTLE – UC Riverside scored three runs late in Sunday's series finale to beat Washington, 6-3, at Husky Ballpark and avoid a three-game sweep.

The Highlanders (3-4) scored a run in the sixth inning to tie the game 3-3 and added a pair of runs in the eighth and an insurance run in the ninth to earn a hard-fought victory over the Huskies (4-3).

Sophomore Nick Kahle was 4-for-4 to lead Washington's offensive attack but it wasn't enough.

With the game tied in the eighth, UC Riverside took a 5-3 lead, which was aided by a pair of Husky errors. No. 9 hitter Nathan Webb got things started for the Highlanders with a lead-off double. He moved down to third on a sacrifice bunt by Justin Mannens, but everyone was safe when Jonathan Schiffer dropped the throw at first base.

Colby Schultz followed by hitting a grounder back to the mound, but Webb scored and Mannens was safe at second when Stevie Emanuels' (1-1) throw went wild. Mannens would score the second run of the inning when Dean Miller grounded into a double play.

The Highlanders tacked on an insurance run in the ninth, but the Huskies did not go quietly. They Diamond Dawgs loaded the bases with one out, but reliever Connor Cannon came in and recorded the final two outs to pick up a save.

Washington jumped to a 1-0 lead in the second inning, thanks to a sacrifice fly by their freshman first baseman Schiffer. The Huskies threatened for more, but UC Riverside freshman pitcher Cole Percival got out of bases-loaded jam with a pair of strikeouts.

The lead was short-lived for the Huskies as the Highlanders strung together four hits and hung a two-spot on UW starter Chris Micheles in the third inning. Catcher Anthony Lepre tied the game with a RBI double and Schultz gave UCR the lead with a two-out single to score Lepre.

The four hits in the second were the only ones Micheles allowed. He ended up striking out a career-high seven batters and walked one.

The Huskies would put Micheles in position to earn a win with two runs in the fifth inning, but they could not hold the advantage. Kahle tied the game with a sacrifice fly and Schiffer gave the Huskies a 3-2 lead with a two-out RBI single.

But, in the top of the sixth after retiring the first batter of the inning, Micheles allowed a walk to Schultz on his 104^th pitch of the game. He was lifted for Emanuels and Miller greeted the UW freshman with a double down the third-base line that scored Schultz from first to tie the game, 3-3.

Jared Morton threw 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief to earn the victory for the Highlanders.