Cougar Corner | WSU Throws Away Strong Outing by Way, Losing 10-3

The No. 3 Washington State Cougars were cruising along playing their style of ball.

WSU looked as though they would win their opening game over No. 2 seed Arkansas Friday afternoon in College World Series action.

Then Arkansas scored nine runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to send the Cougs to defeat 10-3.

Early on it appeared that senior Matt Way pitched WSU into complete control of the game.

Arkansas scratched out a run in the bottom of the first after Way plunked leadoff hitter Chase Leavitt on a 2-2 pitch. Leavitt came around to score on the only hard hit ball off Way, a drive to deep left-center by Andy Wilkins that brought across the first run of the game.

Matt Way settled into a groove that was impressive. He gave up just three hits in six innings while striking out 10 Razorback hitters.

In the top of the third, WSU scored two runs on four consecutive hits to take a 2-1 lead. 

Cougar pitching has been outstanding this season and with their ace Matt Way mowing down Hog hitters, the insurance run they scored in the top of the seventh looked good enough for a victory.

Coach Donnie Marbut lifted Way after throwing 100+ pitches in six complete innings on a very hot and humid late afternoon in Norman, Okla.

Adam Conley came out of the bullpen to pitch a flawless seventh inning.

As good as Matt Way pitched, Arkansas ace Dallas Keuchel was almost as good. By holding WSU to just three runs over seven innings, Keuchel did his job by keeping the Hogs close. Usually holding an opponent to three runs translates into an Arkansas win.

The Cougs had their chances to expand their lead time and again, but crisp fielding by Arkansas snuffed out several WSU scoring opportunities. Without some great defensive play, the Hogs would have been knocked out by the pesky contact hitters of Washington State.

When Coach Marbut brought in his closer Jeremy Johnson after Conley gave up a lead off double to Ben Tschepikow, it was the team wearing jerseys with "Cougars" across the chest who looked confident.

This game was destined to be out of the ordinary. The momentum WSU worked so hard to establish and maintain throughout this game appeared firmly with them.

Then it was gone.

This game turned on one throw and it wasn't by a Cougar pitcher.

Johnson came into the game throwing breaking balls over the plate. Unfortunately Razorback hitters feast on fastballs and drilled those BB's for a couple of hits.

With two out and a runner on second, Zack Cox drilled a hot shot ground ball toward the hole on the left side of the infield. Shea Vucinich raced to his right, snagged the ball and promptly threw it away. Not only did the error extend the inning, the Hogs took a 4-3 lead on the misplay.

Just like that, the Cougs were the team looking shaken and it was the Razorback players filled with confidence.

Before the Arkansas fans would settle down, nine runs crossed the plate. The only thing missing between innings was Dandy Don Meredith singing his famous rendition of "Turn out the lights".

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"We played great baseball for all put one inning," Coach Marbut said. "Matt Way gave us every chance to win and we did not cash in on some of our opportunities." 

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Washington State got its first taste of postseason play in two decades. The taste was bittersweet.

Nothing will wash away the bad taste in the Cougars mouths better than a win tomorrow.

Coach Marbut and his staff will help players move on to the game tomorrow and prepare them to go out and do what they do best.

Cougar baseball will be back in action tomorrow banging out hits, stealing bases, squeezing in runs and pitching strong baseball.

One game won't reverse the course Washington State has charted.

Chad Arnold will take the mound for the Cougs tomorrow in Norman at 11 AM PT. That we know. Who Arnold will face won't be known until after the game between Oklahoma and Wichita State is completed later tonight.

We also know... Cougar baseball is back.

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Originally published on Examiner.com