Huskies score early, withstand Gonzaga rally

Washington scored three times in each of the first two innings, and the Huskies belted three home runs off Gonzaga pitching as UW beat the Bulldogs 8-6 Saturday at Husky Ballpark in Seattle.

Just as they did in Friday’s 14-4 victory over GU (7-5), the Huskies (7-2) used the long ball, as Andy Lentz hit a pair of home runs and Zach Clem hit a two-run homer for UW, which has eight homers in two games against the Bulldogs.

UW jumped out to a 3-0 in the first inning, then used a pair of homers to score three times in the second off GU starter Clayton Mortenson (2-2).

Aaron McGuinness cut Washington’s lead in half in the top of the fourth, hitting a three-run homer that brought Gonzaga to within 6-3.

The Huskies got one back in the bottom of the fourth, Lentz doubling to center and Matt Hague following with an RBI single.

Gonzaga got two more in the sixth when Bobby Carlson led off with a homer and Scott Campbell singled in Shawn Wayt later in the inning.

The Bulldogs pulled to within one in the top of the seventh. Darin Holcomb led off with a double to left-center, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Zach Woodward’s sacrifice fly.

Lentz’s second homer of the day in the bottom of the eighth brought the game to its final margin.

•Jim Murphy hit his third homer of the season and finished with five RBIs as Washington State improved to 9-2 on the season with an 8-7 victory over UC Davis in the River City Classic in Davis, Calif.

The Cougars opened the scoring in the top of the third, Jared Prince doubling down the line in right to score Travis Coulter.

The Aggies (7-5) took the lead with two runs in the bottom half, and, after Murphy hit a two-run homer in the fourth, Davis went up 4-3 after stringing together three straight hits.

WSU went up 6-4 in the top of the sixth when Murphy hit a bases-loaded double with two outs that scored three runs.

After the Aggies tied it with two more in the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars grabbed the lead for good in the seventh. A bases-loaded balk by Davis reliever Brad McAtee scored what became the winning run. Both teams added a run in the ninth to make it 8-7.

•It wasn’t a great day for Whitworth’s offense as the Pirates (3-4) lost a pair of games, falling 7-0 to Lewis-Clark State and 1-0 in 12 innings to Albertson College in Lewiston.

In the opener, Lewis-Clark State scored four times in the third and three times in the fourth as Jason Garcia and Mike Miller combined for a six-hitter.

Justin Fuller went 1 for 2 with three RBIs for the Warriors (8-1).

In the second game, the Pirates, despite superb pitching from Cody Person (seven innings, two hits) and Jason Weatherman (four innings, two hits), couldn’t push across a run and lost it on an unearned run in the 12th.

Albertson’s Nate Freese walked and Charlie Strandlund was hit by Whitworth’s James Nelson. Jake McGrady then tried to sacrifice the runners over, but Joel Evans, who replaced Ryley Hunter at catcher in the bottom of the 12th, threw the ball away, allowing Freese to score the winning run for Albertson (8-0).