Baseball: Cougs conclude season with rubber game loss to Cal on Senior Day

Washington State fell 11-5 in the rubber game of the series to the University of California at Bailey-Brayton Field Sunday afternoon.

The Cougars end the season with a 19-35 overall record with a 11-19 mark in Pac-12 play. Junior Cameron Frost and sophomore Jack Strunc each notch two hits and senior Patrick McGrath closed his Cougar career with an RBI-single in the eighth inning. Cal took the series after notching 18 hits.

California jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after catching a break in the first inning. Cougar starter Scotty Sunitsch nearly had a perfect frame but WSU lost a ball in the sun, allowing the second batter to reach with a triple and the next batter flew out that scored a run. The Bears then added a solo homer later in the inning for the two-run advantage.

Cal added another run in the second before the Cougars came back with one in the third inning. Derek Chapman and Strunc led off the inning with singles and were bunted over by Dugan Shirer before Chapman scored on J.J. Hancock’s sacrifice fly to right field.

The Bears tacked on another run in the fifth before Washington State pushed one across in the sixth. Shane Matheny chopped a double down the right field line, McGrath walked and Frost singled to center to load the bases. Justin Harrer made it 8-2 with a sacrifice fly to centerfield but Cal escaped further damage with an inning-ending fielder’s choice ground out.

California added three more runs in the eighth but the Cougars countered with a run in the eighth inning as McGrath capped his career with an RBI-single through the left side to score Hancock. In the ninth, Washington State received a double from Stefan Van Horn and an RBI-triple from Strunc followed by a sacrifice fly from Shirer to make it 11-5.

Sunitsch took the loss after allowing seven runs on nine hits in four innings. Ryan Mason picked up the win for Cal after allowing two earned runs on five hits in seven innings.