College baseball: Cougars off to rough start

PULLMAN – Washington State played seven baseball games on the road in 10 days and the worst team they faced, San Diego, is on the verge of being ranked in the college baseball polls.

The Cougars went 1-6 in that stretch and were saved from a seven-game losing streak by the indomitable arm of Joe Pistorese. WSU’s freshmen, four of whom start frequently, got a rude welcome to the rigors of Pac-12 play.

“We got beat up,” said coach Donnie Marbut. “It wasn’t an easy trip, but that’s life in the Pac-12 and life in the schedule that we want to have. We didn’t play as well as we would like to have but I think they got a lot out of it and we’ll see in practice.”

WSU beat No. 13 USC, 4-2, in a Saturday matchup thanks to a complete game from Pistorese, but lost the other two contests with the Trojans by scores of 10-3 and 11-0.

The Cougars lost a one-run game to USD and then dropped three to No. 27 Oregon State. In the second game OSU’s Drew Rasmussen pitched the conference’s first perfect games since WSU’s Joe McIntosh did it against Whitworth, March 10, 1973.

In the other games against the Beavers, the Cougars had no trouble getting on base, they just struggled to come home. WSU scored just three runs on 16 hits in those games, and went 2 for 16 with runners in scoring position.

“We’re flipping plans (at the plate), not sitting on certain pitches and trying to make (the at-bat) more than it’s worth,” Marbut said. “We’re on at third base with less than two (outs) just trying to get a fly ball. We didn’t get that done, for whatever reason.”

The Pac-12 is typically one of the toughest baseball conferences in the country and this year it has six teams ranked among the top-30.

“It was rough for everyone and the younger guys are still getting a feel for it,” Ian Sagdal said. “The game just fast-forwards 10 times (in conference play), and I think the younger guys were unprepared, to say the least.”

Things won’t get any easier this week for WSU (12-11, 1-5 Pac-12), which hosts No. 5 UCLA (17-5, 5-1) this weekend.

“I picked UCLA to win the conference and they’re coming here,” Marbut said. “So, it’s just another week where you’re going to play a really, really good opponent.”