Cougars Salvage Conference Split With Washington

Washington State’s Rob Ryan drove home four runs, while Kyle Kawabata and Kyle Poffenroth held Washington to six hits Saturday for a 5-2 win and split of their Pacific-10 North Division baseball doubleheader at Seattle.

Washington, behind Lawyer Milloy’s pair of three-run homers, won the opener 8-6 after trailing WSU 6-3.

The split leaves the two still tied for first in the league standings at 14-11. WSU is 24-27 overall, while Washington is 22-27. The league leaders conclude their weekend series with a single game at 1 p.m. today.

In the nightcap, Kawabata (10-2) gained the win, while Poffenroth threw the final three innings for his second save of the year. UW starter Sean Spencer (5-4) gave up nine hits and all five WSU runs in six innings.

Ryan drilled a run-scoring single to right field that brought home Mike Wetmore, aboard with a leadoff triple, in the first.

Ryan doubled to left in the second to score Ty Solomon and Jim Horner, giving the Cougars a 3-1 lead. After Duane Stewart doubled home WSU’s fourth run in the sixth, Ryan hit a sacrifice fly to center.

The Huskies scored in the fifth when Joe Trippy came home on a Cougars error. In the seventh, off Poffenroth, Ryan Soules singled home Shawn Mahle.

WSU jumped out to a 4-0 secondinning lead in the opener, using two singles, a pair of doubles and one walk. Solomon doubled home two runs and Randy Kaleikilo followed him with a run-scoring double.

Milloy took care of most of WSU’s lead in the third when he drilled a Mark Hendrickson pitch over the fence in center with Chris Whitemarsh and Trippy on base.

Kaleikilo scored on a flyout and Mike Wetmore scored on Campbell’s wild pitch in the fourth.

Washington 8-2, WSU 6-5

WSU 040 300 0 - 6 7 2 UW 003 023 x -8 6 3

Hendrickson, Belitz (6) and Kinkade; Carpenter, Campbell (4), Merrick (7) and Shewey. W-Campbell, 6-7. L-Belitz, 1-4. HRs- Washington, Milloy 2 (5). T-2:33.

WSU 012 002 000 - 5 11 10 UW 000 010 100 - 2 6 1

Kawabata, Poffenroth (7) and Hamik, Kinkade (7); Spencer, Campbell (7) and Mahle. W-Kawabata, 10-2. L-Spencer, 5-4. T-2:41. A-886.

Gonzaga 3-4, Portland St. 1-6

At Portland, Jerrod Wong (4-7) allowed four hits in pitching Gonzaga to a 3-1 win over Portland State in the first game of a doubleheader.

PSU won the second game 6-4 as Jerry McMullen (6-6) struck out 11 in eight innings. Troy Cleland (6-4) took the loss.

Gonzaga 003 000 000 - 3 6 2 Port. St. 000 100 000 - 1 4 0

Wong; Wooten. W-Wong, 4-7. L-Wooten, 8-4. T-1:40. Gonzaga 000 100 300 - 4 7 1 Port. St. 041 001 00X - 6 7 1

Cleland, Caldwell (6); McMullen. W-McMullen, 6-6. L-Cleland, 6-4. HRs-Gonzaga, Masterson (7). T-2:07. A-157.