BSB: Cougs drop rubber game to CSU Bakersfield

Washington State dropped its series rubber game at CSU Bakersfield 7-2 Sunday afternoon.

The Roadrunners scored twice in each of the first two innings, held off a number of Cougar rallies throughout the day and tacked on three more in the eighth inning. Kyle Manzardo and Garrett Gouldsmith each tallied two hits for the Cougars.

In the first inning, the Cougars saw Manzardo double to right-centerfield but was stranded at third to the inning. CSUB opened the bottom of the inning with a double, a triple and a wild pitch to push two runs across.

An inning later, the Roadrunners opened the frame with back-to-back doubles that plated a run and a passed ball was followed by a wild pitch to push the lead to 4-0.

Junior righthander Brody Barnum fired scoreless third and fourth innings before sophomore Connor Barison worked a scoreless fifth.

WSU put two runners on to start the sixth after a Garrett Gouldsmith single and Kyle Manzardo walk but CSUB ended the threat with a 5-4-3 double play and a ground out. In the seventh, Jake Meyer doubled off the centerfield wall with one out but was stranded to end the inning.

In the eighth, Brady Hill started the inning with a walk and Gouldsmith lined a single into centerfield and the first pitch to Manzardo got behind the catcher to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Following a CSUB pitching change, Manzardo groundout sharply to first base to score Hill and Collin Montez chopped a ball to second to score Gouldsmith and make it a two-run game. Jack Smith had worked a walk prior to Montez, was on second but the CSUB reliever ended the inning with a groundout.

The Roadrunners added a pair of runs in the bottom half of the eighth following a hit-by-pitch, a pair of singles, a pair of RBI-groundouts and a bases loaded walk for a 7-2 advantage.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Kyle Manzardo doubled in all 3 games of the series. . .Jake Meyer doubled to centerfield in the 7th for his first career extra-base hit. . .Connor Barison worked three scoreless innings. . .Freshman righthander Grant Taylor struck out the only batter he faced in his collegiate debut.

NEXT UP: The Cougars head to CSUN in Northridge, Calif. for a Monday afternoon matchup at 2 p.m.