WSU baseball knocks off No. 21 Oregon State in Pac-12 opener
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Mar. 20—CORVALLIS, Ore. — Washington State bagged a victory against a ranked Pac-12 opponent in second-year coach Brian Green's first try, topping No. 21 Oregon State 5-2 on Friday at Goss Stadium to open conference play.
The Cougars (11-2, 1-0 Pac-12) snapped an 11-game losing streak in Corvallis in collecting their first top-25 win since April 8, 2017, when they defeated No. 8 Arizona 9-3.
"They really showed up," said Green, who worked as an assistant at OSU in 2001. "The energy was awesome.
"We're so proud of these kids. They absolutely brought it tonight. ... Great night for the Cougs."
WSU's Kyle Manzardo continued his tear to start the season, going 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles. Justin Van De Brake belted a two-run homer in the fifth after Collin Montez — who went 3-for-5 on the day — drove in Tristan Peterson (3-for-5, one double) with a single.
Junior right-hander Brandon White improved to 3-0. He took a perfect game into the sixth inning, and finished with seven strikeouts in seven innings pitched, permitting one run on just three hits and a walk.
"Brandon White made us all look pretty smart tonight, and so did those hitters," Green said.
Standout Kevin Abel took the loss for OSU (11-4, 0-1). He struck out six in 4 2/3 innings, but allowed four earned runs on seven hits. Wazzu added an insurance run in the sixth after breaking a 1-all tie with a 3-run fifth.
Wazzu had won just 11 games in its last full season in 2018, and has already matched that total.
The two teams play again at 1:35 p.m. today at the same site.
WSU 010 031 000—5 12 0
Oregon State 000 001 001—2 4 0
White, Hawkins (8), Leonard (9) and Meyer. Abel, Mundt (5), Frisch (6), Burns (9) and Claunch.
Washington State hits — Peterson 3 (2B), Montez 3, Manzardo 2 (2 2B), Van De Brake 2 (HR), Smith, Jones II.
Oregon State hits — Dukart (2B), McDowell, Forrester, Kasper.
