HCA: Cougars split series with Hawaii

Washington State baseball started and finished the series with Hawaii with wins following their 6-5 victory on Sunday. The series split brought the Cougars to 3-5 and towards being on the track that new head coach Brian Green wants the team to be on. With plenty of room for improvement, the Cougars have the potential.

Last Thursday during game one, the Cougars started strong with a three run first inning led by a two-run home run by Collin Montez. He didn’t stop there as he drove another shot over the right field wall for a three-run home run following a Jack Smith RBI-single to give the Cougars a 6-0 lead in the third inning. Hawaii answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own and the two teams would remain scoreless to finish the game.

The following day, it was all Hawaii as they got out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. The Cougars tried to stage a comeback with two runs in the eighth inning but was cut short stranding two guys on base.

The Cougars fell behind once again on Saturday trailing 3-0 heading into the fourth inning. They finally got on the board with a Brady Hill sacrifice fly to left field that scored Collin Montez. Hawaii came back with a RBI-single in the bottom of the inning. Montez would bring the Cougars closer in the fifth inning with a RBI-single and Justin Van De Brake would bring in another with a single bringing the score to 4-3 Hawaii. They would leave 8 runners on base the rest of the game and neither team would score to finish out.

On Sunday, it was the same story with the Cougars giving up four runs in the first three innings. They would figure things out late and in the top of the 8th inning, the Cougars would get on the board with a double to center by Smith that scored two runs. Kyle Manzardo would double to center as well and bring around Smith to cut the Hawaii lead to one. Hawaii put up one run in the bottom of the inning and the Cougars would answer right back with another one run RBI-single by Smith. Manzardo followed that up with a sacrifice fly to right field that would score Brady Hill. Van De Brake would put the Cougars on top with a RBI on a fielders choice to give them a 6-5 lead. Hayden Rosenkrantz would come on in the ninth inning and sit all three Hawaii batters down to record the save and give the Cougars the win.

The win gives the Cougars something to look back to before they begin another three game road series against Rutgers in Peoria, Arizona that begins on Friday morning.

*****

Basketball:

A Grip on Sports: The bad news is Washington State lost to Stanford on Sunday. The good news is Isaac Bonton seems set to return to the lineup

There is hope. Washington State has three more Pac-12 regular season games remaining, including Friday night’s matchup at Washington (13-15, 3-12 in Pac-12 play). Expect Bonton to play.

Swimming:

Pac-12 women’s swimming, men’s diving championships preview

Mackenzie Duarte competed in last season’s NCAA Championships last season (100 and 200 breast), and was the Cougars’ first NCAA participant since 2010.

Golf:

LUND-HANSEN IN THE TOP 30 AFTER TWO ROUNDS AT THE BRUIN/WAVE INVITATIONAL

Senior Marie Lund-Hansen made a team-high 1-over 73 in the second round of the Bruin/Wave Invitational to close out 36 holes of play for the Washington State women’s golf team at the at the San Luis Obispo Country Club Monday.

Tennis:

COUGARS BLANK FORDHAM, 7-0

Washington State rebounded from a heartbreaking loss Sunday to defeat Fordham University 7-0 Monday morning at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center on the Columbia campus.