University of Washington
Arizona State
Clem Drives In Six As UW Beats Arizona State, 8-6
March 28, 2004 | Baseball
March 28, 2004
TEMPE, Ariz. - Zach Clem hit a seventh-inning grand slam to give the Washington baseball team its first lead of the day and then broke a 6-6 tie in the ninth with a two-run single as the Huskies beat No. 9 Arizona State, 8-6, Sunday at Packard Stadium.
The win gave the Huskies (15-7-1 overall, 2-1 Pac-10) a 2-1 series with over the Sun Devils, who dropped to 21-7 and 2-4 in conference play.
Clem, the Huskies' sophomore left fielder from Burlington, Wash., came up in the seventh with ASU closer Pat Bresnehan, the Pac-10 saves leader, on the mound. Clem hit a 3-1 pitch the other way over the right field fence to give the Huskies a 6-5 lead.
In the top of the ninth, with the score tied at 6-6, Brent Lillibridge doubled with one out. Greg Isaacson followed by reaching on an error by ASU first baseman Joe Persichina. After Isaacson stole second to put runners on second and third, Clem worked an 0-2 count to a full count before singling sharply up the middle to drive home both runners.
Clem finished the game 3-for-4 with a career-high six runs batted in. Husky closer Will Fenton (3- 2), who had struggled of late, got the final four outs of the game to earn the win. Bresnehan fell to 3-1 in the loss.
UW freshman starter Richie Lentz loaded the bases in the first on two walks and a single, but wiggled off the hook, not allowing the Devils to score. In the second, however, he was less fortunate. With one out, ASU put two runners on via bases on balls and Dustin Pedroia chopped a double down the left-field line. One runner scored on the hit, but the ball got under the glove of UW left fielder Zach Clem for an error, allowing a second to score.
A hit batter and a walk reloaded the bases and Lentz was lifted in favor of senior reliever Trent Baysinger, who got two outs without allowing another run, holding ASU's lead to 2-0.
Arizona State tacked on a third run in the third inning. Baysinger hit catcher Tuffy Gosewisch to lead off the inning and, after two outs, walked Seth Dhaenens before Pedroia singled up the middle, driving in Gosewisch.
In the fourth, the Huskies got on the board with a pair of runs to cut ASU's lead to 3-2. Clem singled to lead off and scored from first when freshman DH Matt Lane doubled down the right field line. Lane moved to third on a wild pitch and when Gosewisch's throw to third took a hop and dribbled down the left-field line, Lane scored.
The Devils moved their lead back to three in the bottom of the sixth. Baysinger hit Nick Walsh with a pitch with one out and Richland's Travis Buck followed with his seventh home run of the season, deep down the right-field line, to increase ASU's edge to 5-2.
After Clem's slam gave the UW the lead, it didn't take long for ASU to tie it up as DH Nick Cadena hit a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to knot the score at 6-6.
The Huskies had a chance to go back ahead in the eighth when Ben Johnson singled and stole second with two outs. Tucker then lined a pitch to the gap in left-center for what looked like a run- scoring double, but ASU All-America left fielder Jeff Larish made a spectacular diving catch to keep the tie in tact.
The Huskies continue their current 12-game road stand with a three-game Pac-10 series vs. California next weekend in Berkeley.
LINESCORE Washington 8, #9 Arizona State 6 Washington 000 200 402 -- 8 8 2 Arizona St. 021 002 100 -- 6 10 3 Richie Lentz, Trent Baysinger (2), Will Fenton (8) and Aaron Hathaway, Ben Johnson (4). Zechry Zinicola, Pat Cassa (5), Quentin Andes (7), Pat Bresnehan (7) and Tuffy Gosewisch. W - Fenton (3- 2). L - Bresnehan (3-1). 2B - UW, Matt Tucker, Matt Lane, Brent Lillibridge; ASU, Dustin Pedroia. HR - UW, Zach Clem (7); ASU, Travis Buck (7), Nick Cadena (2). T - 3:15. A - 2,761. Records: UW 15-7-1, 2-1 Pac-10; ASU 21-7, 2-4.
