Cougs’ extend win streak after win over Portland
The Cougars’ Brock Blatter (34) fist bumps a teammate during their game against the University of Portland Monday. The Washington State Cougs’ defeated Portland 9-3 Monday to extend their win streak to five games.
COURTESY PHOTO/WSU ATHLETICS
PULLMAN — The Washington State Cougars (19-17) extended its win streak to five after defeating the University of Portland Pilots 9-3 on Monday, according to a statement by WSU Athletics. Pitcher Brock Blatter was happy with his performance after coming back from a recent injury.
“It felt good (to) give us a good start and stuff and get us in good position and get a win on a Monday,” Blatter said. “(I just) keep getting innings and building up my pitch count and stuff like that and continue to build each outing. (I) got four innings today and continued to build the pitch count.”
The Cougs started strong with four runs in the first inning and built the lead to 7-0 by the end of the fourth. Portland eventually got home in the fifth inning, but two more runs by WSU seemingly put the game out of reach. The Pilots responded with two runs in the seventh, but the Cougars held them off the rest of the game to seal the 9-3 win. Blatter pitched four innings, allowing one hit, zero runs, two walks and struck out three batters.
“I came on in (the fifth) inning with a leadoff walk, which cannot happen, but I got a double play ball after that. It was awesome to pitch with a lead, and the boys did a great job just every inning going out there and getting runs, giving us a lead and giving us a chance to win and the pitching staff to be able to pitch with the lead was awesome,” Blatter said.
According to WSU Athletics, Dane Chavez had two hits and scored twice, Mason Pirello doubled twice and drove in two runs while Ryan Skjonsby added two hits with a double and RBI. Blatter earned his first win as a Coug after striking out three and allowed just one hit over four innings. Lefthander Taber Fast worked three innings and struck out three before Ryan Haider closed the game with a pair of scoreless frames.
The Pilots’ Nolan Miller reached base four times on the day, recording two hits and two walks, according to a statement by Portland Athletics. Dakota Chun was involved in all three runs scored for the Pilots, batting 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBI's and two runs scored. It's his second home run of the season.
Aaron Louis took the loss on the mound, going three innings with six runs and seven hits allowed. His record falls to 2-2 on the year. Three other Pilots appeared for Portland, with Morgan Codron also going three innings with three runs and five hits conceded, Ky Hoskinson throwing an inning and Trey Newmann closing it out with an inning thrown in the eighth.
The Cougars struck for four runs on five hits in the opening frame as Hartman pulled an RBI-double down the right field line, Pirello doubled home two runs over the Portland centerfielder and Macleod punched an RBI-single the other way into right field.
Blatter struck out the first batter of the game before working a scoreless first and used a 6-4-3 double play in a scoreless second inning. Blatter ended his day with a swinging strikeout to close out the fourth inning.
The Cougars scored in each of the first four innings as Hartman launched a 458-foot solo homer over the trees in right-centerfield to lead off the WSU fourth.
Portland pushed a run across in the fifth after a Cougar defensive miscue allowed an unearned run to score. Reliever Taber Fast followed with a scoreless sixth inning before Chavez and Hartman traded back-to-back doubles and Skjonsby poked an RBI-single through the left side for a 9-1 lead.
According to Portland Athletics, Chun hit his two-run bomb in the seventh inning to cut into the lead slightly, but it was too little too late with the Pilots falling 9-3.
With the Cougars' win, they improve several other statistical categories aside from the win column, according to WSU Athletics. Brock Cross made his 1st career start, started at DH, went 0-3 with a walk. Gavin Roy singled in the 1st to extend his on-base streak to 23 games. Kyler Northrop singled in the 5th to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. WSU improved to 9-3 at Bailey-Brayton Field.
BOX SCORE:
UoP: 0-0-0-0-1-0-2-0-0: 3
WSU: 4-1-1-1-0-2-0-0-*: 9