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Friday in the West

by Bryan Young
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Safeco Field @ Washington (Safeco Field) 1 – Arizona 0

@ Cal 5 – Oregon State 2

USC 6 – @ UCLA 1

UC Davis 12 – @ Washington State 5

Media Release

(Seattle, WA) – Junior Nick Haughian, a lefty from Marysville, struck out a career-high 15 in a two-hit, complete-game shutout as the Washington baseball team edged No. 18 Arizona, 1-0, Friday night in front of 5,187 fans at Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners.

Washington improved to 19-8 overall and 2-2 in Pac-10 play while the Wildcats fell to 14-9 and 2-5 in conference play.

Senior right fielder Andy Lentz broke a scoreless tie with an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning. Lentz finished the game 2-for-3.

Arizona All-American Preston Guilmet (3-2) suffered the loss. The right-hander held the Huskies scoreless through the first six and one-third and finished having allowed just one run on four hits.

Haughian (3-2) got off to a quick start as each of the first six outs, and seven of the first eight, came by way of strikeout. He finished having allowed only two hits (a double in the second and a single in the fourth) and three walks in his nine innings. Haughian’s previous career high for strikeouts was eight.

But both starting pitchers avoided trouble throughout the first six and a half innings. Arizona had two runners reach second while the Huskies had only one.

However, in the bottom of the seventh, the Huskies mounted the game’s first real threat. With one out, Brian Pearl drew a walk on a full-count pitch. Catcher Joey Dunn followed with a bunt single and Guilmet’s throw to first to try and get him got by the first baseman and allowed Pearl to take third on the error. Lentz followed by drilling a liner over the second baseman’s head and into right-center field, plating Pearl with the game’s first run.

The Huskies and Wildcats continue the three-game series Saturday (2:00 p.m.) and Sunday (1:00 p.m.) at Husky Ballpark. Both games will air live on KKNW AM-1150.

(Berkeley, CA) – Led by the pitching of junior right-hander Tyson Ross and some timely hitting, the No. 7-ranked California baseball team defeated two-time defending national champion Oregon State, 5-2, Friday in the first game of a three-game Pac-10 series at Evans Diamond. The Golden Bears improved to 20-6-1 overall and 3-1 in conference. The Beavers dropped to 14-9 overall and 2-2 in league play.

Ross improved his record to 5-0 on the season by pitching 7.0 innings with seven hits, two runs, three walks and a season-high nine strikeouts. Sophomore right-hander Daniel Wolford then came in to pitch a successful eighth inning (1.0 inning, two hits, no runs, one walk, two strikeouts) before junior closer Matt Gorgen earned his sixth save of the season by pitching the ninth with one hit and one strikeout. Ross now has 235 career strikeouts, which places him tied for fourth (with Bryan Price, 1981-84) on the Cal all-time list, while Gorgen earned his 17th career save, which places him fourth on the Bears’ career save list.

Cal scored two runs off of OSU starter Mike Stutes (2-4, 7.0 innings, 10 hits, five runs, two earned runs, four walks, six strikeouts) in the bottom of the first when sophomore designated hitter Rich Gorman led-off the inning with a double, advanced to third on a Stutes’ wild pitch, and scored on a passed by Beaver catcher Ryan Ortiz. The Bears later got their second run of the inning on sophomore center fielder Brett Jackson’s fielder’s choice RBI.

Cal added another run in the third on junior left fielder Charlie Cutler’s RBI ground out to first base after the Bears had started off the inning with three straight hits (Blake Smith, Dylan Tonneson, Michael Brady) off of Stutes.

Oregon State finally answered with two runs in the top of the fourth off of Ross, on an RBI single by first baseman Jordan Lennerton, and on a run-scoring double play ball by Chris Hopkins. But that was the end of the Beavers’ scoring as the Bears’ pitching was able to hold off OSU (which left 13 runners on base). Cal’s offense scored two more insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth on Jackson’s RBI single to right field, and Smith’s RBI groundout.

Jackson finished the game with two hits and two RBI for the Bears. Senior second baseman Josh Satin (2-for-4, double) and Smith (2-for-4, RBI) also had a pair of hits for Cal.

The Bears will next play Oregon State in the second game of the three-game conference series, Saturday, Apr. 5, at 1 p.m. at Evans Diamond.

(Los Angeles, CA) – Junior left-hander Tommy Milone (Saugus/Saugus HS) struck out a career-high 14 batters Friday as the USC Trojans beat the No. 23 UCLA Bruins, 6-1, in the Pac-10 Conference series opener at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Milone gave up a lone run in the ninth after allowing just three hits through eight innings with one walk and 14 strikeouts.

USC improved to 14-14 overall and 3-4 in Pac-10 play while UCLA fell to 13-11 on the season, 2-2 in conference.

Milone struck out the side twice on the evening and now has 52 strikeouts on the season in 44 2/3 innings. Senior first baseman Derek Perren (Chatsworth/Granada Hills HS/L.A. Pierce College) went 2-for-3 with two RBI for the Trojans, who have now won three in a row. The Trojans also snapped a five-game losing streak to the Bruins.

Tim Murphy (2-2) took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings where he allowed two walks and struck out 10.

Taylor Grigsby hit a long fly ball with two outs in the USC second, but Bruin left fielder Chris Giovinazzo made the catch against the fence to prevent the extra-base hit. Gabe Cohen hit a double off the fence to lead off the Bruin half of the third, but Milone came back to strike out the side.

The Trojans broke the pitchers’ duel with a run in the sixth. Robert Stock reached on an error by UCLA second baseman Alden Carrithers. After Grant Green reached on a fielder’s choice with Stock retired at second, USC put Green in motion on a hit-and-run as Roberto Lopez blooped a single to left for runners at first and second. Perren then hit an RBI single through the left side of the infield for the first run of the game.

Freshman third baseman Joe De Pinto led the top of the eighth with a double to left. Stock moved him to third with a high chopper ground out and Green then laced an RBI double down the third base line for a 2-0 lead. Lopez walked and Perren flared an RBI single to center, knocking out Murphy. Stock later hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Brendan Lafferty to complete the scoring for the Trojans.

The series continues tomorrow with a 2 p.m. game with the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games will be broadcast (audio only) on usctrojans.com.

Notes: Tommy Milone’s 14 strikeouts were the most by a Trojan since Ian Kennedy (currently on the New York Yankees) struck out 15 UCLA batters on April 9, 2005, at Dedeaux Field…the combined 24 strikeouts for both starters were more than the 21 combined strikeouts thrown by two pitchers on Feb. 6, 2001, at Jackie Robinson Stadium (both who pitched in the majors, USC’s Mark Prior with 12 K’s and UCLA’s Josh Karp with 9 K’s).

(Pullman, WA) – Sophomore designated hitter Kyle Mihaylo had a career game that included four extra-base hits and a game-high five RBI’s, and UC Davis used a five-run first inning to defeat Washington State, 12-5, in a nonconference baseball game at Bailey-Brayton Field Friday night.

UC Davis has won 13 of its last 14 games and five straight to improve its record to 19-8 overall. The Cougars, who were ranked nationally two weeks ago, have lost their last four games and are now 16-11. It marked the Aggies’ second straight win over Washington State and third in four meetings dating back to last season.

Mihaylo finished a perfect 4-for-4 from the plate with two doubles, a triple a home run and the game-high five RBI’s. He was just a single shy of the cycle. He also scored a game-best three runs to complete the best offensive game of his career. Senior Matt Dempsey went 4-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Overall, the Aggies had seven extra-base hits.

Eddie Gamboa improved his record to a perfect 5-0 as he pitched 6.2 innings and allowed only three runs off eight hits with four strikeouts. Marco Grifantini did not allow an earned run in the final 2.1 innings.

UC Davis scored five runs in the first inning and never led by fewer than six runs the rest of the game. Ryan Royster doubled to lead off the game. Ty Kelly was hit by a pitch and Jake Jefferies singled to load the bases. Evan Hudson drove in the first run off a sacrifice fly to left field. After Ryan Scoma walked to load the bases again, Mihaylo cleared the bags with a triple. He was driven home by Kevin James to cap the big inning.

After four scoreless innings, Mihaylo doubled to start the sixth and scored another run off an RBI-single from Dempsey to put the Aggies ahead, 6-0. UC Davis added three more runs in the seventh to run their lead up to 9-0. Jefferies opened the inning with a solo homer down the left field line. After a triple from Scoma, Mihaylo hit a home run to drive in two more runs.

Washington State got on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning off three RBI-singles. The Aggies capitalized on a Cougar error in the eighth the score two unearned runs. The Cougars got two more runs in the eighth inning.

UC Davis would score another run in the ninth off an RBI from Royster. A scoreless ninth gave UC Davis the victory.

Jefferies and Scoma each finished with two hits and two runs scored. Royster also scored twice in the game.

Garry Kuykendall led the Cougars with two hits and two RBI’s. Cougar starter Ross Humes gave up six earned runs off nine hits in his first loss of the season.

The series resumes tomorrow with a doubleheader. The first game is set to begin at 2 p.m. with the second game to follow shortly after.

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