College baseball: Joey Kramer homer rallies Washington State past Kansas

From staff reports

Joey Kramer hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Washington State the lead, and the Cougars closed out another notable early-season win at the Round Rock Classic in Round Rock, Texas.

WSU improved to 2-0 at the event, beating Kansas 5-4 on Saturday afternoon at Dell Diamond.

The Cougars (5-1) are off to a nice start in their first season under coach Nathan Choate. They upset No. 24 Kentucky on Friday, then rallied back from a 4-1 deficit late to upend the Jayhawks (3-3).

Senior pinch hitter Jacob Morrow sparked the comeback with an RBI single in the seventh inning. Kramer, a transfer infielder from Cal State Northridge, drove a two-strike pitch deep to left field in the eighth, and reliever Kaden Wickersham shut the door.

Wickersham (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings to close the game, allowing one hit while striking out two. WSU starter Connor Wilford went six innings, surrendering four runs on nine hits and striking out three.

Cougars right fielder Alan Shibley, whose father played for Kansas, hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first.

Shibley, Kramer and catcher Will Cresswell each finished 2 for 4 as the Cougars outhit Kansas 11-10.

Jayhawks starter Dominic Voegele allowed one run on six hits and struck out four over six innings. Kansas got a two-run homer from Lenny Ashby in the second inning and a two-run double from Ty Wisdom in the sixth.

WSU plays its Round Rock Classic finale at 2 p.m. Sunday against Texas State.

Vanderbilt 4, Gonzaga 3

Gonzaga squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning and lost to No. 6 Vanderbilt on a walk-off in Nashville, Tennessee.

Commodores designated hitter Camden Kozeal hit an RBI single with one out in the bottom of the ninth to lift Vanderbilt to a 4-3 win over the Zags at Hawkins Field.

Gonzaga (0-5) scored three runs in the third inning and preserved its lead until the ninth. The Commodores (5-2) opened the ninth with back-to-back singles, then got a runner into scoring position on a wild pitch.

Bulldogs left fielder Vincent Temesvary was 2 for 4 and catcher Donovan Ratfield went 2 for 5 with a two-run double in the third inning, but the rest of the Zags hit a combined 1 for 22 with 13 strikeouts.

Vanderbilt totaled 12 hits.

Zags reliever Erik Hoffberg took the loss, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out seven. Starter Justin Feld gave up one run on four hits and struck out three in 4⅓ innings.

The teams meet for the series finale at noon Saturday.

Whitworth sweeps Schreiner

Whitworth stayed unbeaten, rolling past Schreiner University in both games of a doubleheader at Bob Henry Field, in Kerrville, Texas.

Pirates starter Jack Leary pitched a seven-inning complete game in the opener, leading Whitworth to a 7-1 win. The Pirates broke free from a close game with a four-run eighth inning in the second game and prevailed 8-2.

Leary (1-0), a senior righty, allowed one run on three hits and struck out nine. The Pirates (6-0) scored three runs on an outfield error in the fourth, and designated hitter Austin Paul hit a two-run double in the sixth to put the game away.

Catcher Ty Komoda had an RBI single in the sixth. First baseman Henry Zaske and outfielder Jacob Doughty both were 2 for 4.

Three consecutive hit by pitches loaded the bases for Whitworth in the eighth of the second game. Catcher Aaron Clogston drove in two with a single .

Clogston and designated hitter Kevin Corder had two hits apiece for Whitworth, which was outhit 10-6.

Reliever Seth Mahler picked up the win in the second game, allowing one run on three hits in 1⅓ innings. Relievers Hunter Williams and Tyler VanCise combined for a scoreless final 3⅔ innings.

Whitworth and Schreiner (2-7) play the series finale at 9 a.m. Sunday.