TUCSON, Ariz.--Jefferson Thiel's two-out single in the ninth Thursday afternoon drove home the winning run for Washington to defeat BYU, 6-5 at Electric Park.
The Cougars, now 7-7, allowed Washington to win its season opener in the first round of the Illini Desert Classic which also features host Illinois and Kentucky.
BYU, who had a lead of 5-1, going into the bottom of the seventh inning couldn't slow the resurgent Huskies despite a nine-strikeout performance by starting pitcher Nate Fernley, who remains undefeated at 5-0 because he was not credited with the loss. Fernley, who now has 61 strikeouts in 50 innings, and the Cougars retired UW in order through the first five innings.
Matt Carson got the Cougars off to a great start with a two-run homer to the 388 left field power alley in the first inning, his sixth dinger of the season. While the BYU bats went nearly silent until the seventh, its defense quelled a Husky threat in the third. Consecutive singles started that UW third, but catcher Michael Davies, a Washington native, threw out lead-off batter Michael Done in his attempt to steal second. Fernley logged his fourth strikeout, and then picked off Thiel after he advanced to second on a wild pitch.
In the seventh, pinch hitter Michael Wirrick, another Washington native, led off with a Cougar single facing a new UW pitcher. Kainoa Obrey then singled and Tyler Haguewood walked to load the bases. The Huskies brought in a third pitcher who surrendered a left-field looper to Tyler Perry. Then Shane Belliston battled the count before lacing a two-run single to left.
Washington's Tila Reynolds led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run trot, which under protest was scored a ground-rule double. Bryan Johnson then got the only walk of the game by Fernley before Jay Garthwaite hit a two-run double to the gap in right center. Garthwaite scored UW's third run of the inning off Duggan Moran's centerfield single.
Andre Marshall led off the eighth with a triple, but Fernley made a great play fielding a Marc Rittenhouse bunt. Fernley tossed to Davies at home to put out Marshall.
Washington shortstop Reynolds made a key play in the ninth, throwing to third to put out lead-off Cougar Perry.
BYU Coach Vance Law opted to replace Fernley in the ninth with freshman Justin Su'a who gave up consecutive singles. Shortstop Seth King started a 6-4-3 double play which left new reliever James Ray needing one out with one Husky on base. Ray walked his first batter, then gave up consecutive singles, the last of which was Thiel's game-winner.
BYU next plays host Illinois, 0-2, Friday morning again in the Kino Sports Complex, but the game will not be in the AAA home of the Pima Sidewinders, rather at Diamondback Field 3.
The Automated ScoreBook
Brigham Young Univ. at Washington
Feb 22, 2001 at Tucson, Arizona (Electric Park)
Brigham Young Univ. 5 (7-7)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
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BELLISTON, Shane cf...... 5 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 0
JACKSON, Doug lf......... 4 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1
CARSON, Matt rf.......... 4 1 1 2 0 1 2 0 2
KING, Seth ss............ 4 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 2
HIESTAND, Jeff dh........ 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
WIRRICK, Michael ph..... 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
OBREY, Kainoa 3b......... 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
HAGUEWOOD, Ty 1b......... 2 1 0 0 1 0 4 0 0
LAW, Tim ph/1b.......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
DAVIES, Michael c........ 4 0 1 0 0 1 10 2 0
PERRY, Tyler 2b.......... 4 0 2 1 0 0 2 3 0
FERNLEY, Nate p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
SU'A, Justin p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
RAY, James p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 36 5 10 5 2 5 26 13 6
Washington 6 (1-0)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
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Marc Rittenhouse 2b...... 4 0 0 0 0 3 3 4 0
Tila Reynolds ss......... 4 1 1 0 0 2 1 4 0
Bryan Johnson 1b......... 3 1 1 0 1 0 10 0 0
Ben Miller pr........... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jay Garthwaite lf........ 4 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 0
Tyler Davidson rf........ 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Duggan Moran dh.......... 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Justin Drake pr......... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Michael Done 3b.......... 4 1 3 1 0 0 4 1 0
Jefferson Thiel c........ 4 0 2 1 0 1 5 0 1
Andre Marshall cf........ 3 0 1 1 0 1 3 0 0
Tyler Shepple p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Taylor Grant p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shawn Kohn p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mike Bomar p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Scott Robertson p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 33 6 12 6 2 9 27 9 3
Score by Innings R H E
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Brigham Young Univ.. 200 000 300 - 5 10 1
Washington.......... 000 001 302 - 6 12 1
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Note: 2 outs, 2 runners LOB when the game ended.
E - DAVIES; Reynolds. DP - Cougars 2; Huskies 2. LOB - Cougars 6; Huskies 3.
2B - Reynolds; Garthwaite. 3B - Marshall. HR - CARSON(6). SB - BELLISTON;
Done. CS - Rittenhouse.
Brigham Young Univ. IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
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FERNLEY, Nate....... 8.0 8 4 3 1 9 28 29
SU'A, Justin........ 0.2 2 1 1 0 0 3 3
RAY, James.......... 0.0 2 1 1 1 0 2 3
Washington IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
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Tyler Shepple....... 6.0 4 2 2 0 5 22 22
Taylor Grant........ 0.0 2 3 3 1 0 2 3
Shawn Kohn.......... 1.2 3 0 0 1 0 7 8
Mike Bomar.......... 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Scott Robertson..... 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 4 4
Win - Robertson (1-0). Loss - RAY (0-2). Save - None.
WP - FERNLEY.
Umpires - Home:Del Blunk 1st:Al Guinee
Start: 1:00 Time: 2:42 Attendance: 150
Game notes:
Illini Desert Classic
Grant faced 3 batters in the 7th.
RAY faced 3 batters in the 9th.