March 2, 2003 LANCASTER, Calif. - The Washington baseball team scored three runs in the seventh and four in the eighth to rally for an 8-5 win over San Diego State Sunday in the final game of the Clash of the Conferences at Lancaster Municipal Stadium. The UW went 2-1 in the tournament. Washington, which evened its record at 6-6 on the season, trailed 5-1 before coming back. The Huskies entered the eighth behind, 5-4. A Kyle Larsen single and a Mike Wagner double put runners at second and third with one out and SDSU reliever Chris Hartshorn came on to face DH Chad Boudon, who grounded a ball to short. An errant throw from shortstop James Guerrero allowed Larsen to score and Boudon to reach first. Taylor Johnson followed with single, driving in Wagner with the go-ahead run and Boudon scored all the way from first when second baseman Peter Stonard bobbled a relay throw from the outfield. After a popout and an Aaron Hathaway single, second baseman Greg Isaacson singled to send home Johnson and Washington led, 8-5. Closer Will Fenton (1-0), who worked two and two-thirds innings, earned the victory, striking out five (including three in the ninth) as Husky pitchers fanned a total of 17 Aztecs in the game. Washington scored the game's first run in the third inning. Third baseman John Otness singled to lead off. He moved to second on a Brent Lillibridge bunt and scored when shortstop Tila Reynolds dropped a single down the right field line. San Diego State (6-10) used the two Husky errors to post four unearned runs in the fifth inning. With two on and two out, Guerrero bounced a slow roller to third. Otness tagged the runner going to third, but dropped the ball in the process to keep the inning alive. Stonard followed with a single to drive in two runs. Then, Jake McLintock lofted a ball to left field that fell in off the glove of Wagner for a three-base error, allowing two more runs to score, giving SDSU a 4-1 lead. Washington entered the game having committed only five errors in 11 previous games. The Huskies rallied in the seventh, drawing to within a run. Wagner singled and scored on an errant throw after Johnson dropped a bunt towards third. Otness followed with a two- run single and San Diego State's lead was cut to 5-4. Husky starter Jeff Petersen didn't figure in the decision despite not allowing an earned run. He gave up only two hits and struck out a career-high 10 batters over his five innings of work. Junior tranfer reliever Trent Baysinger, who had started his UW career by not allowing a run in his first 10 and one-third innings, had the stretch broken after surrendering a run in the seventh. Aztecs freshman starter Ben Coon (1-1), who allowed only one run on four hits over the first six innings, suffered the loss, giving up a total of six runs. Next weekend, the Huskies return home to Husky Ballpark as Washington State comes to Seattle for a three-game, non-conference series. Friday night's series opener starts at 6:30 p.m. while Saturday and Sunday, game time is 1:00 p.m. Games two and three of the series are slated to air on KKNW AM-1150, pending conflicts with UW women's basketball broadcasts.
LINESCORE Washington 8, San Diego State 5 San Diego St. 000 040 100 -- 5 6 3 Washington 001 000 34x -- 8 12 3 Ben Coon, Chris Hartshorn (8), Ryan Heil (8) and Josh Allen. Jeff Petersen, Trent Baysinger (6), Will Fenton (7) and Jefferson Thiel, Aaron Hathaway (7). W - Fenton (1-0). L - Coon (1-0). 2B - UW, Mike Wagner. T - 3:04. A - 325. Records: SDSU 6-10, UW 6-6. |
