Wainhouse Wins Game, Series Over No. 11 UCLA With Walk-Off Home Run

Sunday, May 13

Seattle, WA

1:05 PM

University of Washington

25-21, 0

UCLA

31-16, 0

UCLA

Washington

Teammates greet Joe Wainhouse after his walk-off, 2-run HR.

Wainhouse Wins Game, Series Over No. 11 UCLA With Walk-Off Home Run

May 13, 2018 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Brian Tom

SEATTLE – Trailing 4-3 entering the ninth inning, things looked bleak for the Husky Baseball team against No. 11 UCLA. But, Washington (25-21, 15-9) tied it in the ninth and won it in the 11^th inning on a walk-off home run by senior designate hitter Joe Wainhouse.

Behind in the count 0-2 against UCLA closer Holden Powell (2-1), Wainhouse got a pitch on the inner half of the plate and launched it an estimated 450-feet over the batter's eye behind the center field fence and into Lake Washington for a two-run, game winning – and most importantly – a series-clinching win.

"I was thinking home run the entire time." Wainhouse said following his 11^th home run of the year, and fifth in the last five games.

The homer propelled the Huskies into a third-place tie in the Pac-12 standings with the Bruins (31-16, 15-9) with two weeks of Conference action remaining. It also improved the Huskies to 6-1 in extra-innings games.

"That was a good moment," said a soaked Wainhouse after his team doused him with whatever liquid they could find during the walk-off celebration. "We needed that game."

Indeed they did. The Huskies entered the game with a RPI of 71 and are surely to climb back into the NCAA post-season discussion after their first series win over a ranked opponent.

Catcher Nick Kahle started the 11^th inning rally with a lead-off single to put pressure on Powell, and Wainhouse took over from there. He fouled off three-straight pitches before he finally found the one to his liking.

"I think Kahle did a good job of putting the pressure on," Wainhouse said. "We needed to get the lead-off guy on to make (Powell) attack and it worked out well."

The blast made a winner out of Stevie Emanuels (6-2), who pitched the 11^th inning, but it was a strong effort by Jordan Jones and Alex Hardy that made the comeback possible.

Jones, battled through eight innings, allowing seven hits and all four of UCLA's runs. He struck out seven and gave the Huskies a fighting chance to win.

Hardy went two innings, allowing just a single hit, and wiggled out of a 10^th inning, bases-loaded jam kept the tie intact.

After Wainhouse struck out to start the ninth inning, Levi Jordan and AJ Graffanino reached on back-to-back singles off Powell. Willie MacIver followed with a fly ball out to right that allowed Jordan to score ahead of the throw home by Jeremy Ydens, setting up extra innings.

For the second-straight day, Washington struck in the first inning to give its starting pitcher a little breathing room. This time, Kahle delivered the big blow, a two-run homer off UCLA starter Ryan Garcia. It was just the second homer of the year allowed by Garcia, who entered the game second in the Pac-12 in ERA and first in opposing batting average.

For Kahle, it was his second home run in as many days after not hitting any in the first 45 games. Braiden Ward scored ahead of Kahle after walking and stealing his Pac-12-leading 15^th base of the year.

The Bruins answered the Huskies two runs with a pair of their own in the third to tie the game back up, 2-2. Ydens led off the inning with a home run off Jones for his third long ball of the year. UCLA put a couple more runners on for designated hitter Jack Stronach and he delivered with a two-out RBI single to tie the game up.

UCLA took the lead in the fifth when Jones uncharacteristically had trouble finding the strike zone. He walked a pair of batters with one out and then gave up a RBI single to Stronach and a sacrifice fly to Jake Pries that made the score 4-2 in UCLA's favor.

The Huskies cut the Bruins lead in half in their half of the fifth on a sacrifice fly Jonathan Schiffer, setting up the dramatic finish to the game.

"That doesn't happen without Hardy getting out of the 10^th and without Levi and AJ picking me up in the ninth," said Wainhouse. "It was a great game and right up there as one of my biggest baseball moments ever."

The Huskies host Portland on Tuesday at Husky Ballpark with a 6:05 p.m. first pitch before heading to Salt Lake City to face Utah for a three-game series starting Thursday.