Cougars prepare for ASU
The two non-conference losses suffered by Washington State earlier this week had no direct effect on the Cougars’ lowly standing in the powerful Pac-10 Conference.
But they were troubling losses, according to WSU coach Donnie Marbut, who watched his team blow an early seven-run lead in losing to UC Davis 13-11 on Sunday and a late four-run lead in losing to Gonzaga 11-8 on Wednesday.
“The last two games have been very, very disappointing,” said Marbut, whose Cougars are 18-13 overall and alone in ninth place in the Pac-10 standings with a 2-4 record. “They were both stinging losses.”
Marbut said they were the kind of losses that could still indirectly affect the Cougars’ conference record – especially with national power Arizona State (28-3, 4-2) due to arrive in Pullman to open a three-game weekend series at 5:30 p.m. today at Bailey-Brayton Field.
“Sometimes, frustrating losses like those can factor in to your league record, as well, because you’re trying to win every game, and they can piggyback on the other ones you have coming up,” Marbut said.
In Arizona State, which comes in ranked No. 2 in the country, WSU will face a team with no obvious flaws.
“They’re big, they’re strong, they’re left-handed and they’ve got quality pitching,” Marbut said of the Sun Devils, who were ranked No. 1 in the nation before dropping two of three games at Stanford last weekend. “I’m not really sure what weaknesses they have.”
ASU leads the Pac-10 in hitting at .329 and boasts a staff earned run average of 3.39, which ranks No. 3 in the conference. The Sun Devils’ offense has been paced by junior Ike Davis, who is hitting .410 with a team-high 11 home runs, and junior Brett Wallace, last year’s Pac-10 Player of the Year, who is hitting .389 with nine homers.
The Sun Devils are one of three Pac-10 teams ranked in the top 10 of this week’s Baseball America poll. Cal is fifth and Stanford 10th.
“Since I first got here in 2004, it’s been a tough league,” Marbut said. “And this year, it’s tougher than ever.”
Zags settle in
The Gonzaga Bulldogs, hoping to build on the momentum generated by Wednesday night’s comeback win over Washington State at Patterson Baseball Complex, will continue their nine-game homestand at 6:30 tonight when they entertain West Coast Conference rival Santa Clara in the opening game of a three-game series.
The Zags (16-14, 1-4) and Broncos (17-11, 3-3) will also meet Saturday and Sunday, with the University of Washington scheduled to invade for a pair of non-conference matchups on Monday and Tuesday.
Playing five games in as many days will be another big challenge for the Bulldogs’ pitching staff.
“Kids are going to get a chance to throw, that’s for sure,” coach Mark Machtolf said. “But our pitching has been challenged all year long by the schedule we’ve played.
“The key thing, though, is being at home. You’re sleeping in your own bed, you’re more familiar with the field because it’s where you practice and it’s just overall more comfortable for the players.”