UW Drops Close Rubber Game to LMU

SEATTLE -- The Washington baseball team (4-6) came up just short in its rubber game against Loyola Marymount (6-4) to drop a tightly-contested three-game series at Husky Ballpark.

Adam Bloebaum delivered a solid outing in his second career start and the bullpen was once again strong. However, an unearned run in the top of the eighth and final inning wound up being the difference on Sunday afternoon.

After a one-hour rain delay to start the game, a 40-minute lightning delay after the fifth resulted in the game having to be shortened to eight innings.

For the third straight game, the Huskies got on the board first. Braiden Ward doubled to lead off the game, went to third on a Ramon Bramasco sac bunt and came home to score on a Nick Kresnak RBI groundout. 

The bats would stay silent until the top of the fourth, when the Lions rallied to take the lead. They strung together a couple of singles to start off the inning. The next two batters doubled and grounded out to give them a 2-1 lead.

Bloebaum would get out of that inning without any more damage and threw to one batter in the fifth. He finished with 4+ innings, two runs and six strikeouts. He now has 17 strikeouts in 14.1 innings of work this season. 

There wouldn't be any more action until the eighth inning, which was the last one of the day. LMU got a runner on due to an error to start off its half of the inning. A walk and double-steal gave the Lions runners on second and third. While Stu Flesland III was able to come in and get a flyout, it was deep enough to score the unearned run, which gave LMU a 3-1 lead. 

UW didn't go away easily in the bottom of the inning, with Dalton Chandler battling in a nine-pitch at-bat which he capped off with a double into left-center field. With two outs in the final inning, Kelly Corl came in as a pinch-hitter for his first-career at-bat. On the first pitch he saw, he ripped an RBI single to left field that scored Chandler. Will Simpson was up next and launched a deep fly ball to center field, but it hung up just enough to stay in the park and seal the game.

 The Huskies are back at home on Tuesday for a midweek contest against Portland that will begin at 5:00 p.m..
Husky Notes

• With his leadoff double in the first inning, Braiden Ward has now reached base safely in all 10 games this season. 
• Kelly Corl recorded a base hit in his first-career at-bat in the bottom of the eighth. He is now the fourth Husky true freshman to accomplish this feat in 2021, joining Emilio Corona, Nick Kresnak and Carson Blatnick.
• The bullpen trio of Davis Delorefice, Stefan Raeth and Stu Flesland III have now combined to throw 18.2 innings without allowing an earned run.