Burgmann Stellar Again, Lifting Huskies’ To Sixth-Consecutive Win

Sunday, March 3

Seattle, WA

1:05 PM

University of Washington

7-2

Cal Poly

2-9

Cal Poly

Washington

Burgmann Stellar Again, Lifting Huskies’ To Sixth-Consecutive Win

March 03, 2019 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Brian Tom

SEATTLE – Washington scored four runs in the eighth inning and blanked visiting Cal Poly, 5-0, to complete a three-game sweep on Sunday at Husky Ballpark. Josh Burgmann reached double-digit strikeouts for the second consecutive game to spark the Huskies (7-2) to their sixth-consecutive win and came one inning short of pitching back-to-back complete games.

Burgmann settled for an eight-inning masterpiece in which he struck out 10 Mustang batters and only allowed two runners to reach as far as second base all day. He surrendered three hits and walked one batter, throwing 103 pitches in an overly efficient day.

He was set to come back out for the ninth inning to go for the complete game, but remained on the bench after the Huskies scored four runs in the eighth to blow open an 1-0 advantage.

"Being a competitor, I wanted to get back out there in the ninth inning and finish the game off," the sophomore from Nanaimo, B.C. said following the Huskies first shutout of the season. "But I get the situation – it's the third week of the season, my pitch total is creeping up and we had a long break in there scoring four runs in the eighth, so I totally get it."

The Huskies almost needed him in the ninth as they struggled to push runs across the plate. They did strike first by playing small ball to generate a run after Rollie Nichols led off the third with a double. Ben Baird sacrificed him to third and Nick Roberts fought off a pitch up-and-in to lay down a perfect suicide-squeeze bunt with Nichols barreling home to give the Huskies the 1-0 advantage.

"We talk about that all the time," UW Coach Lindsay Meggs said. "It's a difficult pitch to bunt and he did a great job. That might have been the run that ended up helping us get over the hump."

It was looking like the Huskies would have to settle for trying to hold a one-run advantage to the finish line before the bats finally broke through with two outs in the eighth. With pinch-runner Noah Hsue on second, Baird came through with a hit to left field and Hsue just beat the throw home to give the Huskies the 2-1 advantage.

Roberts followed with a double the other way to right field that gave UW at 3-1 lead. Baird would score when pitcher Thomas Triantos threw the ball into centerfield trying to pick off Roberts at second, and Roberts was chased home on a triple by Braiden Ward.

Ward was a thorn in Cal Poly's side all series. The sophomore centerfielder was 2 for 3 on the day and stole three bases, giving him a Pac-12 high 11 on the season. For the series, he was 5 for 11 with four runs scored, six stolen bases and two RBIs.

With a five-run advantage, Meggs handed the ball over to Stevie Emanuels for the third time during the weekend and he set the Mustangs down 1-2-3.

"We might have played our best game, in terms of pitching, defense and timely hitting," said Meggs. "That was a great weekend for us."

The Huskies head to Bannerwood Park in Bellevue to take on Seattle U on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. before playing a trio of neutral site games down the road at T-Mobile Park for the Seattle Baseball Showcase.