McMillan Impresses, WSU Drops Pitcher’s Duel to USC

PULLMAN, Wash. (April 29, 2022) – Washington State received seven strong innings from starting pitcher Cole McMillan but USC held off WSU's ninth-inning rally to take the series-opener 4-1 at Bailey-Brayton Field Friday evening.
 
The Cougars (17-23, 7-15 Pac-12) collected 10 hits, received three hits from Jacob McKeon and two-hit games from Bryce Matthews and Jake Meyer but could not get any runs across until the ninth inning. McMillan allowed just one earned run in a career-high seven innings and struck out three.
 
USC (21-18, 6-13 Pac-12) added a run in the eighth and two more in the ninth before WSU loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Kyle Russell worked a bases-loaded walk to bring it a run but the Trojan closer ended the game with a strikeout.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
In the third inning, USC used three straight one-out hits with an RBI-double down the right field line bringing in the first run of the game.
 
McMillan settled and kept USC off the scoreboard over the next five innings, setting a career-high with seven innings pitched.
 
WSU threatened throughout the game, leaving a man on second to end the fourth inning, left two on to end the fifth, had a runner caught stealing third in the sixth and left nine men on bases through the game.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
McKeon extended his hitting streak to 8 games and on-base streak to 12 games
Jack Smith saw his on-base streak end at 23 games
 
NEXT UP
The series continues Saturday at 6:05 p.m. on Pac-12 Washington.