Bats Heat Up as Cougs Even Series With No. 6 Oregon State
PULLMAN, Wash. (May 4, 2024) – Washington State evened the series against No. 6 Oregon State with a 10-9 victory at Bailey-Brayton Field Saturday evening.
The Cougars (20-25, 8-15 Pac-12) tallied 13 hits led by leadoff hitter Logan Johnstone's first career four-hit game while Casen Taggart doubled twice and drove in three runs and Joey Kramer hit his team-leading ninth home run of the season. Starter Connor Wilford picked up the win after holding Oregon State (34-12, 13-9 Pac-12) to one earned run while working into the sixth inning.
WSU built a 10-2 lead with runs in the first three innings and added four in the eighth before OSU rallied with seven in the ninth inning. Reliever Kaden Wickersham entered with one out after the Beavers had made it a one-run game and earned his first career save with a pair of groundouts.
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
WSU answered an OSU first-inning run with an RBI-double to right-centerfield by Casen Taggart to score Johnstone who started the inning with a double to the same spot. In the second inning, Swarts drove an RBI-double off the wall in right-centerfield and later scored on a two-out single from Johnstone past the Beaver third baseman for a 3-1 lead.
In the third, Taggart doubled to right-centerfield in his second straight at-bat and Kramer followed with a long two-run shot off the scoreboard in left-centerfield for a 5-1 lead.
Wilford settled in after the first inning and fired four scoreless frames, stranding a pair of OSU baserunners to end the fifth. OSU put runners on first and second with one out in the sixth and the Cougars called upon Andrew Baughn who ended the threat with a 6-4-3 double play. In the WSU half of the sixth, Johnstone doubled off the OSU pitcher that saw a comebacker deflect off the pitcher and in to left field and he later scored on a two-out RBI-single by Cole Cramer for a 6-1 lead.
OSU got a run back with a solo homer in the eighth inning and later put two runners on with nobody out but Haider ended the threat with a pair of strikeouts and groundout. In the Cougar half of the eighth, Taggart and Alan Shibley each delivered two-run singles to push the lead to 10-2.
In the ninth, OSU plated seven runs on five hits including a pair of RBI-doubles and three-run homer before Wickersham entered and retired the only two batters he faced to close out the win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Casen Taggart doubled in the 1st inning to extend his on-base streak to 7 games
Joey Kramer homered in the 3rd inning to extend his on-base streak to 6 games
Nate Swarts doubled in the 2nd inning to extend his on-base streak to 8 games
WSU notched its first win over a Top-10 team since taking two of three at No. 9 Arizona in 2022
NEXT UP
The series wraps up Sunday at 1:05 p.m.