Balanced effort leads Cougs past Seattle U in home opener
The Cougars’ Logan Johnstone takes the field during Friday’s game. The WSU team took down Seattle U 6-4 in the home-field opener of the Cougars’ regular season.
COURTESY PHOTO/CWU ATHLETICS
PULLMAN — Seven Washington State players collected hits and starting pitcher Griffin Smith worked six innings in the 6-4 home-opening win over Seattle U at Bailey-Brayton Field on Friday evening.
WSU, winners in four of their last five games, saw freshman second baseman Ollie Obenour record three hits, right fielder Logan Johnstone collect two hits and score twice while catcher Will Cresswell drove in three runs.
Smith earned the win after striking out two and allowed two earned runs over six innings before lefthander Troy Shepard struck out four in 1.1 scoreless innings and Luke Meyers recorded the final five outs to pick up his second save of the season.
WSU scored five in the second and once in the third before Seattle U scored four times in the fifth but Shepard and Meyers combined to keep the Redhawks off the board the final three frames.
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
In the second, Creswell delivered a two-out, two-run single into centerfield and raced around to third on a Seattle U fielding error before scoring on a wild pitch a couple pitches later. Cole Watterson worked a walk to extend the inning before Max Hartman and Obenour, each followed by RBI doubles to the right field for a 5-0 Cougar lead. Cresswell pushed the lead to 6-0 with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Johnstone.
Smith ran into some trouble in the fifth after a leadoff fielding error and a walk put runners on first and second with nobody out. The Redhawks brought in a run with an opposite-field double to left-centerfield and a two-run double pulled down the right field line to make it a three-run game. The next two batters popped out but the next hitter muscled a two-out RBI-single just over the first baseman two make it a 6-4 game.
WSU loaded the bases with one out in the sixth but Seattle U ended the threat with a 6-4-3 double play. The Redhawks loaded the bases with a pair or walks and infield single but reliever Troy Shepard ended the threat with a strikeout.
Meyers took over with one out in the eighth inning and posted a scoreless eighth before retiring the side in order in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.