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BSB: Anderson gem allows Cougs to salvage series finale at USC

Washington State won its first Pac-12 game of the 2017 season on Sunday
Washington State won its first Pac-12 game of the 2017 season on Sunday (Twitter)

Junior lefthander Cody Anderson fired eight impressive innings to lead Washington State past USC 4-1 at Dedeaux Field Sunder afternoon.

The Cougars (11-7, 1-2 Pac-12) received two hit games from James Rudkin and Dugan Shirer while junior Blake Clanton hit his first career home run.

Anderson, who fired 15 straight strikes at one point, improved to 3-0 after striking out six and allowed just one earned run on five hits. USC (12-7, 2-1 Pac-12) put two runners on with two outs in the ninth but junior lefthander Scotty Sunitsch preserved the win with a strikeout to notch his fifth save.

Washington State pushed a run across in the first inning as Dillon Plew worked a leadoff walk and Shane Matheny followed by pulling a 2-2 pitch through the right side and hustled around to second for a double. With runners on second and third and one out, Cory Meyer brought home Plew with an RBI-groundout to shortstop.

USC tied things up with a solo homer to left field in the third inning. With Anderson cruising, WSU manufactured a run in the fifth as Shirer singled back up the middle to start the inning, moved to second on a Plew sacrifice bunt and later scored as Rudkin came through with a two-out RBI-single to centerfield to score Dugan Shirer for a 2-1 advantage.

Anderson worked around a softly hit infield single and ended the sixth inning with a fly out to Harrer in left and a popup to Plew at second, stranding a runner at second to keep it 2-1.

In the seventh, the Cougars went with the long ball as Clanton launched a no-doubter to right field for a solo shot and a 3-1 WSU lead. The next batter was Harrer who tripled off the wall in centerfield and scored on Shirer's sacrifice fly to right field for a 4-1 lead.

Anderson continued to work, ending the seventh with a ground ball double play before retiring the side in order in the eighth inning including a pair strikeouts to keep it 4-1.

USC led off the ninth with a single that chased Anderson, who was well over a 100 pitches and WSU called up lefthander Sunitsch who induced a ground ball double play for the first two outs. The next batter walked and the following batter singled to left to put two runners on with two outs but Sunitsch ended with a strikeout.

Washington State returns home to host Cal State Northridge for a four-game nonconference series beginning Friday at 4 p.m.

GAME NOTES: Shane Matheny extended his hitting streak to 11 games with his first inning double…James Rudkin has reached base in 15 straight games…Cory Meyer has reached base in 10 straight games.

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