BSB: Cougs drop second game of Hawaii series
HONOLULU (Feb. 22, 2020) – Washington State brought the go-ahead run to the plate twice in the eighth inning but could not complete the comeback and dropped a 4-2 contest at Hawaii Friday evening.
Sophomore righthander Connor Barison was dominant out of the bullpen for the Cougars, setting career-highs with seven strikeouts in five innings, allowing just one hit along the way and retiring the final 11 batters he faced.
The Cougars received two-hit games from Gianni Tomasi, Kyle Manzardo, Collin Montez, Justin Van De Brake and Brady Hill. WSU freshman lefthanded starter Ethan Ross took the loss in his collegiate debut, allowing four runs but just two earned in three-plus innings.
In the first inning, Hawaii used a leadoff hit-by-pitch, a sacrifice bunt, a groundout and a wild pitch to push a run across for the early lead. UH added another run in the second following a single, an error, a walk, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.
In the third, Hawaii added two more runs after a single, a walk, a dropped fly ball and pair of sacrifice flies for a 4-0 lead.
The Cougars threatened a couple times, putting two runners on in the fifth and seventh innings but could not push any runs across. Barison meanwhile, took over with two on and nobody out in the fourth inning and kept Hawaii off the scoreboard.
In the eighth, Hill singled sharply into centerfield, moved all the way to third on a wild pitch and scored on Tomasi’s one-out single to right. Manzardo followed with a single right and Smith hit one hard off the Hawaii second baseman’s glove and into right field that allowed Tomasi to score, cutting the UH lead to two. Hawaii went to the bullpen and ended the threat with a called strike three and a fly out deep down the right field line.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Manzardo doubled in the 1st inning, has hit safely in all 6 games in 2020. . .Brady Hill beat out an infield single in the 3rd inning for his first career hit.
NEXT UP: Game 3 of the 4-game series is Saturday at 8:35 p.m. (PT).
