IRVINE, Calif. – Washington State brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but saw its rally turned away, dropping the series-opener at No. 22 UC Irvine 4-1 at Anteater Ballpark Friday evening.
The Cougars received two hits including an RBI-double from but WSU stranded six runners while the Anteaters (13-4) used a three-run double in the third and a dominant performance from 2018 All-American starter Andre Pallante who posted seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and struck out five. Manzardo's fifth-inning single extended his hitting streak to a team-best eight games.
In the third inning, UCI took advantage of some free passes, loading the bases with a pair of walks and a long single that nearly made a diving catch on.