Wazzu Takes First-Ever Series From Sun Devils

The Washington State University baseball team was knocked down in the second game of their Pac-10 series yesterday against the Arizona State Sun Devils - but Wazzu was not out - and the Cougars came back to give the nation's top-ranked team some of their own medicine in a 9-5 victory over ASU in the rubber game of their first-ever Pac-10 series win over the Sun Devils at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman. The Cougars clinched the season series and improved to 17-11 overall and 3-3 in conference play.

Just as in their first win in the series, Wazzu again scored four runs in the first inning against the Sun Devils beginning with a two- RBI double from sophomore outfielder Derek Jones that scored junior shortstop Shea Vucinich and junior outfielder Garry Kuykendall. Senior Michael Weber then doubled to score Jones and the Cougars finished off their first frame scorefest with a sacrifice fly from junior third baseman Matt Argyropoulos that scored Weber.

Arizona State added a home run in the second to the homer they got in the first and Wazzu led 4-2 then added another run in the third when junior first baseman Ryan Peterson grounded out and Weber scored on the fielder's choice for a 5-2 Wazzu lead. In the fourth inning when the Sun Devils scored two more runs and drew within one run and it stayed that way until the sixth inning when Wazzu exploded for three runs. Argyropoulos led off with a four-base tater trot then, later in the inning, freshman catcher Paul Clingan scored on a wild pitch from a Sun Devil pitcher before an RBI from senior left fielder Matt Fanelli scored junior second baseman Cody Bartlett for an 8-4 advantage.

That would turn out to be all the runs Wazzu would need. Vucinich added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth and Arizona State was retired meekly in the ninth with sophomore reliever Adam Conley allowing only one run before recording his sixth save of the year.

NOTES:

- Wazzu had an RPI of 44 entering this game.

- No Cougar player got more than one hit but Jones and Argyropoulos each had two RBI's for Wazzu.

The Cougars continue the 2010 season on Tuesday, April 13 at 6PM when they take on Seattle University at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman

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