Taylor Fires Six Shutout Innings, Cougars Shut Out LIU

PEORIA, Ariz. (February 24, 2022) – Washington State received six shutout innings from starting pitcher Grant Taylor and four Cougars recorded multiple hits in a 10-0 win over LIU at the Peoria Sports Complex, the spring training home of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres, Thursday afternoon.
 
WSU (3-2) claimed the opener after recording 11 hits and pulled away with a six-run seventh inning to back Taylor who scattered three hits and struck out five to earn his first win of the season. Justin Van De Brake, Jake Meyer, Jack Smith and Kyle Russell each collected two hits while Hylan Hall drove in three runs. Four Cougar pitchers combined for nine strikeouts and allowed just four hits in WSU's first shutout win since posting a 10-0 win at Santa Clara in 2019.
 
LIU dropped to 2-3 overall.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
In the second, the Cougars loaded the bases and following a strikeout, Hall was hit by a pitch to bring in a run. WSU added another run in the third on an RBI-infield single by Jack Smith for a 2-0 lead.
 
Taylor settled in and retired eight straight hitters at one point, received a nice play from rightfielder Collin Montez who ended the fifth with a clutch on the run near the foul line to strand a runner and keep it a 2-0 WSU advantage. Taylor capped his day with a perfect sixth inning.
 
The Cougar offense pushed the lead to 3-0 with a Bryce Matthews sacrifice fly in the fifth and pulled away for good with a six-run seventh inning. Meyer got the scoring started with an RBI-doubled to left-center, Hall later added a two-run single to left field, one batter later Van De Brake went the other way for a two-run single to right field and Jacob McKeon beat out an infield single to shortstop to allow Montez to score for a 9-0 lead.
 
In the eighth, Russell tripled past a diving LIU centerfielder and scored on an Elijah Hainline sacrifice fly for a 10-0 advantage. Righthander Kolby Kmetko worked a scoreless seventh, righthander Tyler Hoeft fired a scoreless eighth and lefthander Jack Lee struck out the side in a scoreless ninth.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The start of the game was delayed 52 minutes.
Van De Brake walked in the 1st inning and has reached base in all 5 games of 2022
Russell walked in the 2nd inning and has reached base in all 5 games of 2022
Hall has hit safely in the last 4 games
Hainline pulled a single through the left side in the 6th inning for his first career hit
 
NEXT UP
The series continues with a doubleheader Friday in the main stadium. First pitch has been moved up to Noon (PT).