Huskies Unleash Their Bats Washington Turns Back WSU To Tighten North Division Race

Ken Knutson’s old Dawgs didn’t exactly learn any new tricks. They simply remembered what “Sic ‘em!” meant.

Less than 24 hours after rolling over and playing dead in Saturday’s doubleheader loss to archrival Washington State, Knutson’s Washington Huskies came back Sunday to take a 10-3 bite out of the Cougars and salvage the final game of a three-game baseball series at Bailey Field.

Junior Sean Spencer (4-2) pitched eight splendid innings and drilled his seventh home run, a solo shot in the sixth, as the Huskies, 14-22 overall, raised their Pacific-10 Conference record to 8-6 and pulled within a halfgame of league-leading WSU (9-6, 17-21) in the North Division standings.

“I thought the big thing was that Spencer came out and really competed and battled,” said Knutson, who watched his team snap a string of 15 scoreless innings that spanned three games by touching Cougars starter Kyle Poffenroth for a single run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

“We had been shut out for so many, many innings. But Spencer came out and pitched well early - pitched well all day, really, and gave us a chance to get untracked.”

Spencer, a left-hander, scattered five hits and struck out seven before giving way to relief ace Brett Merrick in the ninth. Spencer allowed only one earned run.

Ross Junkin and Joe Trippy each contributed two hits to UW’s 11-hit attack. Junkin drove in a key run with a single to center in the two-run sixth that put the Huskies ahead to stay, and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth after the issue had been settled.

WSU coach Steve Farrington went to his bullpen four times trying to stop the bleeding, but couldn’t find anyone to consistently throw strikes.

Cougars pitchers walked six batters and hit five others.

“It gets down to where you throw the ball, how many strikes you throw and how you influence the (strike) zone,” Farrington said. “Obviously, we weren’t as sharp pitching today as yesterday (a 5-4, 4-0 sweep).”

Among the four WSU relievers was basketball player Mark Hendrickson, who made his second collegiate appearance.

The 6-foot-9 left-hander came on in relief of Rocky Murray in the seventh inning and got Spencer to fly out into a double play that ended a Huskies rally. But he walked the only three batters he faced in the eighth, and all three ended up scoring as the Huskies opened a huge lead.

That all happened, however, after Washington State missed its last chance to stay close in the bottom of the seventh.

A two-out single by Mike Wetmore, a runscoring triple off the right-field fence by Rob Ryan and a walk to Ken Cameron had pulled WSU to within 5-2 and had set the table for Mike Kinkade, the team’s hottest hitter.

But Spencer, after running the count full, coaxed Kinkade into spanking a sharp one-hopper to thirdbaseman Ryan Soules, who threw out Kinkade to end the threat.

“The critical at-bat and the play of the game was Kinkade’s when he grounded out to end the inning there,” Knutson said.

“The game was in the balance with their best guy (up) and Spencer made a quality pitch - threw a change-up on a full count.

“He hit it pretty good, but it found a glove. We’re just lucky to get him out. Every time the ball stays in the yard and we don’t give up more than one run when he’s up at the plate, I’m happy.”

Poffenroth, who was pitching on only three days of rest after no-hitting Gonzaga through the first six innings of a 4-2 win last Wednesday, went 5 innings, giving up five hits and only two earned runs.

The Cougars will entertain LewisClark State in a non-conference game at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday before rejoining the Pac-10 Conference wars with a North Division road game at Gonzaga on Wednesday afternoon at 4.

Washington 000 012 241 - 10 11 1 WSU St. 000 100 101 - 3 6 2

Spencer, Merrick (9) and Shewey, Mahle (7); Poffenroth, Murray (6), Hendrickson (7), Belitz (8), Clifford (9) and Kinkade, Hairston (7). W-Spencer, 4-2. L-Poffenroth, 2-5. HR-Washington, Spencer (7). T-3:06. A-685.

Portland St. 9, Gonzaga 4

Cabe Jones broke a 2-2 tie with a solo home run in the sixth inning and Jeff Range hit a pair of late-inning two-run homers as the Vikings scored seven runs in the last four innings to defeat the Bulldogs in a Pac-10 North game at Pecarovich Field in Spokane.

The loss put Gonzaga’s records at 6-10 and 20-20. PSU improved to 8-6 and 14-25.

Jones’ homer, his second of the weekend, came with one out in the sixth inning off Bulldogs starting pitcher Jerrod Wong (3-6), who was bidding for his eighth straight complete game. A walk to B.C. Oulman chased Wong in favor of his older brother, Corey, who got out of the inning without further damage. But a one-out bloop single to Kyle Crowston and Range’s first home run, 380 feet to right-center field, extended Portland State’s lead to 5-2 in the seventh.

It was Crowston and Range doing the damage again in the ninth inning. Crowston’s triple over the head of center fielder Carter Masterson scored Ryan Burkeen, and Matt Dorey and sent Corey Wong to the sidelines in favor of left-hander Troy Cleland. Range greeted Cleland with a towering home run to cap the scoring.

Portland State 001 101 204 - 9 13 0 Gonzaga 110 000 020 - 4 8 1

McMullen and Burkeen. J. Wong, C. Wong (6), Cleland (9) and Norton. WP - McMullen (5-4). LP - J. Wong (3-6).

HR - Range 2 (3), Jones (2). 3B- Crowston. 2B - Burgess, Dorey, J. Wong, Olson.T - 2:44. A - 250.

Portland 8, Oregon St. 3 In Corvallis, Ore., Jeff Simpson and Andy Hazlett combined for six hits and six RBIs to lead the Pilots over the Beavers.

Portland 021 200 021 - 8 13 2 Oregon St. 001 010 010 - 3 8 3

Mickel and Chastain; Tuck, Jackson (5), Swinburnson (6), Mencas (8), Bailie (9) and Meiwes. W-Mickel, 4-3. L-Tuck, 3-3. HR- Portland, Hazlett (1), Simpson (5). T-2:35. A-677.