Hot-Hitting Kahle Lifts UW To Walk-Off Win Over USC

Sunday, March 24

Seattle, WA

1:05 PM

University of Washington

14-5, 0

USC

8-14, 0

USC

Washington

Teammates mob Nick Kahle after his walk-off single sent UW home with a 3-2 win.

March 24, 2019 | Baseball

Box Score PHOTOS: Huskies Sweep

By: Brian Tom

SEATTLE – UW Baseball opponents are starting to get the message: avoid Nick Kahle at all costs. But sometimes -- as USC found out Sunday -- that is an impossible task.

Visiting USC (8-14, 2-4 Pac-12) could not avoid facing the Huskies' junior catcher in two different situations and he made them pay both times, including a walk-off RBI single in the 10^th inning that lifted the Huskies to a 3-2 win and series sweep.

With the speedy Braiden Ward on second and Kaiser Weiss on first, Kahle lifted a 1-2 pitch from Chris Clarke to deep left field. CJ Stubbs, who was playing in, turned his back and ran to the warning track, but the ball hung in the wind and fell in front of a stunned Stubbs. Ward, who held up on the play, took off when the ball hit the ground and scored without a throw home to set off a wild celebration between first and second base as teammates mobbed Kahle.

"Any time you can win a series in the Pac-12 is always a big plus and then being able to go out there (today) and win that game just makes a huge difference," Kahle, who was 5 for 9 with a HR, 5 walks and 4 RBIs in the series, said. "We're just super happy to get a series win."

Kahle also accounted for the victorious Huskies (14-5, 5-1) other two runs. In the sixth inning with the bases loaded, he jammed a single in between third and shortstop that scored two runs and gave the Huskies a 2-1 lead.

Kahle might have accounted for two of the Huskies' five hits to raise his season average to .417 and all their RBIs, but he was not the only offensive hero.

Ward was 2 for 4 at the plate and drew a walk. Once he got on base, he was a pest on the base paths, getting the USC pitcher out of rhythm and still stealing two bases to run his Pac-12 leading total to 17 on the season.

The Huskies have now swept their Pac-12 home-opening series in three-straight seasons.

Chris Micheles (2-0) got the final out of the 10^th inning to pick up the win. Carson Lambert (0-2) was charged with the loss for the Trojans.

USC scored first on a Blake Sabol RBI single in the fifth inning to break a scoreless deadlock before Kahle's sixth inning, two-run single.

USC was able to tie the game up, 2-2, in the eighth as they were able to get to a tiring UW starter, Josh Burgmann. Following a RBI single by Chase Buchor and a loud second out off the bat of Ben Ramirez, Burgmann's day was done.

The redshirt-sophomore from British Columbia was super effective for the sixth time in six starts. He allowed a season-high two earned runs on five hits, walked two and struck out seven. He started the game especially hot, managing a stretch of five strikeouts in a row, including the side in the second inning on 10 pitches.

Leo Nierenberg followed Burgmann with two hitless innings, striking out three Trojans.

USC starter Kyle Hurt was equally tough on the Husky hitters. He struck out 10 and allowed just three hits over eight innings.

Washington is scheduled to play a pair of games, Tuesday and Wednesday, in Spokane against Gonzaga before returning home to face defending National Champion, Oregon State, for three games at Husky Ballpark.