Saturday, March 31
Los Angeles, CA
2:00 PM
University of Washington
13-11, 6-3
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USC
13-11, 3-6
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9
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Washington
0
4
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9
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USC
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1
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9
2
Big Eighth Inning Propels UW To Series Win Over USC
March 31, 2018 | Baseball
LOS ANGELESΒ βΒ Washington scored four runs in the eighth inning to break open a tie game and escape Dedeaux Field with a 9-5 win and a 2-1 series victory over USC on Saturday.
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The win improved the Huskies to 13-11 on the season and 6-3 in Pac-12 play. UW has won four-straight series against USC (13-11, 3-6) in Los Angeles and are 10-2 over that stretch. Β
"I'm happy for our guys," Coach Lindsay Meggs said. "To be on the road and lose the first game, and then come back to win to the final two is really big."
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The game was tied 5-5 entering the eighth before the Huskies mounted a two-out, bases-empty rally against USC reliever Brian Gursky (2-1). After singles by Braiden Ward and Noah Hsue, Mason Cerrillo walked to load the bases. Levi Jordan was the first player to deliver in the clutch, singling into right field scoring two runs.
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Nick Kahle followed with a single to center that sent Cerrillo home from second. Jordan also came around to score when Lars Nootbaar's throw from the outfield got away from the third baseman.
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Senior pitcher Alex Hardy (2-0) recorded the final eight outs of the game to close out the win for the Huskies.
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For the second night in a row, USC scored in the first inning to grab a quick lead. This time, Trojans' clean-up hitter, Dillon Paulson, smacked a 2-0 offering from UW starter Jordan Jones over the wall in right field for a three-run homer. It was the first homer given up by Jones since his first outing of the year on Feb. 18 at Sacramento State.
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Washington didn't sit idly, though, as they answered with four run in the top of the second to snatch the lead away from USC. MacIver scored the first run on an error by second baseman Brandon Perez. Jonathan Schiffer was the second Husky to score when he was forced home on a four-pitch, bases-loaded walk to Hsue. Cerrillo capped the inning with a bases-loaded single that scored two runs and gave Washington the 4-3 advantage.
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The game stayed 4-3 until the fifth when USC chased Jones from the game and knotted up the score. The first two Trojans reached on a single and double, sending Jones to the bench and bringing Stevie Emanuels into the game. The freshman righty allowed a run to score on a ground out, but he got out of the jam by inducing a foul out to catcher and fly out to left field.
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The Trojans put the pressure right back on the Huskies' throats in the sixth inning, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly by Perez. The run gave the Trojans the lead back, 5-4, but the Huskies answered once again in the top of the inning.
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Kahle and MacIver hit back-to-back doubles off Chris Clarke to tie the game at 5-5, but UW wanted more. Later in the inning, the Huskies tried to catch the Trojans napping and swipe the go-ahead run, but MacIver was thrown out trying to steal home.
Luckily, the risk ended up not costing the Huskies. With one out, USC loaded the bases in its half of the seventh inning, but Hardy came out of the pen and coaxed Chase Bushor to ground into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play.
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It wasn't the last inning-ending double play of the outing for Hardy as he got pinch-hitter Bart West to hit into a game-ending 6-4-3 DP. A day after picking up a five-out save, Hardy faced the minimum over the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing a lone walk that was erased on the game-ending play.
"Alex Hardy was outstanding all weekend," MeggsΒ said of his fifth-year senior. "It was fun to watch him compete."
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Washington's offense collected 14 hits with five different Huskies collecting multiple base knocks. Kahle led the way going 3-for-5 with a RBI.
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Cerrillo (1-for-4) and Jordan (2-for-5) both picked up two RBIs.
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The Huskies will remain in Southern California and play San Diego State at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.
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The win improved the Huskies to 13-11 on the season and 6-3 in Pac-12 play. UW has won four-straight series against USC (13-11, 3-6) in Los Angeles and are 10-2 over that stretch. Β
"I'm happy for our guys," Coach Lindsay Meggs said. "To be on the road and lose the first game, and then come back to win to the final two is really big."
Β
The game was tied 5-5 entering the eighth before the Huskies mounted a two-out, bases-empty rally against USC reliever Brian Gursky (2-1). After singles by Braiden Ward and Noah Hsue, Mason Cerrillo walked to load the bases. Levi Jordan was the first player to deliver in the clutch, singling into right field scoring two runs.
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Nick Kahle followed with a single to center that sent Cerrillo home from second. Jordan also came around to score when Lars Nootbaar's throw from the outfield got away from the third baseman.
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Senior pitcher Alex Hardy (2-0) recorded the final eight outs of the game to close out the win for the Huskies.
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For the second night in a row, USC scored in the first inning to grab a quick lead. This time, Trojans' clean-up hitter, Dillon Paulson, smacked a 2-0 offering from UW starter Jordan Jones over the wall in right field for a three-run homer. It was the first homer given up by Jones since his first outing of the year on Feb. 18 at Sacramento State.
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Washington didn't sit idly, though, as they answered with four run in the top of the second to snatch the lead away from USC. MacIver scored the first run on an error by second baseman Brandon Perez. Jonathan Schiffer was the second Husky to score when he was forced home on a four-pitch, bases-loaded walk to Hsue. Cerrillo capped the inning with a bases-loaded single that scored two runs and gave Washington the 4-3 advantage.
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The game stayed 4-3 until the fifth when USC chased Jones from the game and knotted up the score. The first two Trojans reached on a single and double, sending Jones to the bench and bringing Stevie Emanuels into the game. The freshman righty allowed a run to score on a ground out, but he got out of the jam by inducing a foul out to catcher and fly out to left field.
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The Trojans put the pressure right back on the Huskies' throats in the sixth inning, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly by Perez. The run gave the Trojans the lead back, 5-4, but the Huskies answered once again in the top of the inning.
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Kahle and MacIver hit back-to-back doubles off Chris Clarke to tie the game at 5-5, but UW wanted more. Later in the inning, the Huskies tried to catch the Trojans napping and swipe the go-ahead run, but MacIver was thrown out trying to steal home.
Luckily, the risk ended up not costing the Huskies. With one out, USC loaded the bases in its half of the seventh inning, but Hardy came out of the pen and coaxed Chase Bushor to ground into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play.
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It wasn't the last inning-ending double play of the outing for Hardy as he got pinch-hitter Bart West to hit into a game-ending 6-4-3 DP. A day after picking up a five-out save, Hardy faced the minimum over the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing a lone walk that was erased on the game-ending play.
"Alex Hardy was outstanding all weekend," MeggsΒ said of his fifth-year senior. "It was fun to watch him compete."
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Washington's offense collected 14 hits with five different Huskies collecting multiple base knocks. Kahle led the way going 3-for-5 with a RBI.
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Cerrillo (1-for-4) and Jordan (2-for-5) both picked up two RBIs.
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The Huskies will remain in Southern California and play San Diego State at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hardy, Alex (2-0)
L: Gursky, Brian (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Kahle, Nick 1 ; MacIver, Willie 1
RBI: Cerrillo, Mason 2 ; Jordan, Levi 2 ; Kahle, Nick 1 ; MacIver, Willie 1 ; Hsue, Noah 1
SH: Ward, Braiden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cerrillo, Mason 1 ; Jordan, Levi 1 ; Kahle, Nick 1 ; MacIver, Willie 1 ; Schiffer, Jonathan 1 ; Jones, Christian 1 ; Ward, Braiden 2 ; Hsue, Noah 1
SB: Hsue, Noah 1
CS: Jordan, Levi 1 ; MacIver, Willie 1
PO: Jordan, Levi 1
Batting:
2B: Perez, Brandon 1 ; Dubb, Stephen 1 ; Sabol, Blake 1
HR: Paulson, Dillon 1
RBI: Perez, Brandon 1 ; Nootbaar, Lars 1 ; Paulson, Dillon 3
SF: Perez, Brandon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Armenta, Angelo 1 ; Perez, Brandon 1 ; Nootbaar, Lars 1 ; Paulson, Dillon 1 ; Bushor, Chase 1
HBP: Ramirez, Ben 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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