Cougars dominate, Bruins drop series

Looking to rebound from a disappointing and heartbreaking series against the No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils last weekend, the Bruins (29-24, 13-8 Pac-10) set off for Washington State (27-24, 10-14) with high hopes. However, they did not achieve their desired outcome, as the team dropped two of three against the Cougars and lost their second consecutive conference series.

The Bruin starting pitchers were hit on hard on Friday and Saturday, falling 5-1 in the opener and 10-5 on Saturday. The team was able to salvage the weekend with 7-5 victory on a chilly 45-degree Sunday afternoon.

“I was disappointed with the first two games and the way that they turned out,” coach John Savage said. “I felt that we did not play well enough to win the first two games of the series. But we were able to come back like the good teams do and win (Sunday). Washington State is a difficult team to play, but (Sunday’s) win was huge for us.”

Friday’s contest was broadcast live on FSN Prime Ticket, but Bruin starter Tyson Brummett (9-5) was unable to provide a “typical Tyson Brummett performance” for the viewers.

Brummett, usually a dominant pitcher with pinpoint accuracy and control, was unable to get into a rhythm and was tagged with his first loss in Pac-10 play.

As for the offense, there was no sign of the unit that put up a total of 28 runs last weekend at Arizona State. Washington State starter Wayne Daman Jr. (5-4) kept the hot Bruin bats cool and under wraps, throwing his first career complete game while giving up one run, six hits and one walk.

“I think that we just came out flat and lacked energy on Friday,” right fielder Gabe Cohen said.

“Washington State played well and you have to give them credit, but we lacked the energy needed.”

On Saturday, the Cougar hitters were all over the Bruins again. The Bruins’ starter, Tim Murphy (4-3), fared no better than his teammate Brummett did on Friday, allowing three hits, a hit by a pitch, a walk, and a throwing error to amount to three Cougar first inning runs.

“Murphy just wasn’t himself,” Savage said. “Washington State just took advantage of opportunities and mistakes.”

The Bruin bats finally woke up in the fourth inning after being shut down by Cougar starter Jayson Miller (5-2) the first time through the order. Third baseman Jermaine Curtis started off the inning with a single to second base and then scored off a double down the left-field line by first baseman Cody Decker. Decker was then brought home by Cohen’s single to left, cutting the Cougar lead to 5-2.

Down 10-3 heading into the ninth inning, the Bruins mustered a tiny comeback, cutting the lead down to 10-5, but failed to catch the Cougars.

On Sunday, the Bruins were able to avoid the sweep, beating the Cougars 7-5 in a seesaw game that wasn’t decided until the eighth inning. Entering the top of the eighth down 4-2, the Bruins responded with a breakout inning in which they scored four runs to take a 6-4 lead.

After the Cougars trimmed the lead to 6-5, a passed ball thrown by Washington State relief pitcher Jeremy Johnson allowed for second baseman Alden Carrithers to score from third to produce the final score of 7-5.

Freshman pitcher Gavin Brooks (4-6) earned the win for the Bruins, allowing five runs (two earned) off seven hits over 7 and two-thirds innings.

Fellow freshman pitcher Garett Claypool earned his fourth save of the season after pitching 1 and one-third innings of scoreless balls.

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