Category: Washington Huskies

Washington baseball runs losing streak to 4 with 10-3 defeat at Cal

The Washington Huskies couldn’t get back on track against the Cal Golden Bears, running their losing streak to four.

The Washington Huskies couldn’t get much going in Berkley on Thursday against the California Golden Bears, falling 10-3 and running their losing streak to four straight games. Coach Jason Kelly’s team has now lost 6 of its last 7 contests and was only able to muster 6 hits off of Cal starter Luke Short.

Short, who improved to 5-2 on the year went 7 innings, also allowing 1 walk and 3 earned runs with 7 strikeouts. His only blemish came from first baseman Jeter Ybarra, who hit a three-run home run in the third inning, his sixth long ball of the season.

It wasn’t enough to overcome Cal’s offensive onslaught, which started the night strong behind a five-run first inning that was capped off with a two-run home run by Peyton Schulze.

The first baseman went 4 for 5 with the 2 runs batted in and 2 runs scored to lead the Golden Bears, who were all over Washington starter Max Fraser and tallied 15 hits on the night.

Fraser dropped to 2-2 with the loss after working just 2 2/3 innings, letting up 10 hits, 1 walk, and 9 runs (8 earned).

The Huskies fell to 19-27-1 on the year with the loss and 10-18 in Pac-12 play, while the Golden Bears improved to 32-18 this season and 15-13 against conference opponents. The two teams will meet for the second installment of their three-game series on Friday evening at 6:05.

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Washington baseball splits season with Portland

The Washington Huskies dropped their midweek matchup with the Portland Pilots on the road.

The Washington Huskies couldn’t complete their sweep of the Portland Pilots in Oregon on Tuesday, dropping the second half of their home-and-home matchup 7-5.

Left fielder AJ Guerrero provided all the offense he could, going 3 for 4 with 2 runs batted in and a run scored, including his team-leading fourteenth home run of the season. His three hits accounted for half of Washington’s total on the day, as the Huskies accumulated just 6 hits off Portland’s pitching staff.

Junior Kyle Fossum was called on to pinch hit in the ninth inning, and the product of nearby Eastside Catholic delivered with the first home run of his college career. However, it wasn’t enough as the Pilots hit 4 home runs on Tuesday en route to victory.

Jack Sand took the loss, his first of the year, after working 1 2/3 innings, giving up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run to go with 2 strikeouts. Brock Gillis earned his first win of the year, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) along with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts over 5 innings.

The loss pushes the Huskies to 19-26-1 on the year, while the Pilots improved to 32-17. Next, Washington will travel to the Bay Area for a three-game series with the California Golden Bears to finish off the regular season, set to begin on Thursday night at 7:05.

Huskies men repeat, win final Pac-12 track and field title

Washington men’s track and field ended the Pac-12 era on a high note, earning back-to-back conference titles thanks to three first-place finishes.

Washington had never won a Pac-12 championship in track and field until last year, when the Huskies broke through to win the conference.

Now, Washington eternally reigns supreme. The Huskies men won the final Pac-12 title on Sunday night, earning back-to-back championships and ensuring that the Pac-12 trophy will forever reside on Montlake.

UW scored 150 points at the meet, edging out USC (141) and California (95) for their title. Washington won with its depth this year – whereas last year the Huskies set a program record with 7 individual titles, the team won only 3 gold medals en route to their first-place finish this time around.

The Huskies got off to a hot start on Friday, winning both of the first two events contested at Colorado’s Potts Field. Chandler Ault set a school and meet record with a 3-foot PR throw of 254-3 in the javelin, breaking Kyle Nielsen’s record by 10 inches. In the long jump, Preston Artis won the first individual title in the event for UW since 2006 with a jump of 25-6 1/4 in one of the strongest fields in recent memory.

Former Washington baseball pitcher Brice Crider and sophomore Jack Olsen added points in the javelin, finishing at No. 6 and No. 8, respectively.

Four Huskies made the 10k finals, led by redshirt freshman and budding star Evan Jenkins. The Camas, WA native separated from the pack late to finish in second, running a 29:40.61. Redshirt freshman Jamar Distel finished No. 5, senior Leo Daschbach was No. 7, and freshman Tyrone Gorze came in No. 10 to earn UW 14 points in the event.

Saturday brought five more podiums, led by a curse-breaking gold medal from Joe Waskom in the steeplechase. In 2021, Waskom misread where the finish line was in the event was and had to settle for second place. At the 2023 championships, Waskom lost a shoe midway through the race, costing him another chance at the title.

No such issues this time around. The senior, whose laces were double knotted just in case on Saturday, finished two and a half seconds in front of runner-up Sam Affolder, who powered past Colorado’s Kole Mathison to give the Huskies a 1-2 finish in the event.

Hammer thrower Jayden White came into the event ranked just seventh despite finishing No. 4, No. 2, and No. 4 in his first three Pac-12 championships. His season best of 225-4 in the fifth round put him at No. 5 on Saturday.

Pole vaulters Max Manson and Simon Park finished No. 2 and No. 3 behind Cal’s Skyler Magula, who beat out Manson via tiebreaker. Magula cleared 17-6 1/4 on his second attempt, whereas Manson required three tries. Decathlete Jami Schlueter added a No. 2 finish after spending most of the event in the lead, which he eventually ceded to Oregon’s Rafael Rapp.

In Sunday’s 1500m, where four Huskies made the finals. 2023 Pac-12 champion Nathan Green led the pack for UW, as he, Luke Houser, Waskom, and Ronan McMahon-Staggs finished in second, third, fourth, and fifth. The effort won Washington a combined 23 points in the event.

Green and Houser also finished No. 4 and No. 5 in the 800m to add 9 more points. Triple jumpers Trevontay Smith and Kunle Akinlosotu finished No. 3 and No. 4 to tack on 11 points.

Jonathan Frazier and Jonathan Birchman finished No. 2 and No. 3 in the 400m hurdles, both setting massive PRs of 49.87 and 50.00, respectively, along the way. Frazier also broke the UW freshman record by more than half a second and finished a surprisingly high 5th in the 110m hurdles.

With only two events to go, the Huskies needed three points to clinch the conference title over USC. That burden landed on the shoulders of Daschbach and Jenkins, UW’s finalists in the 5k.

Jenkins finished No. 8 with a time of 14:27.90, earning just one point. Daschbach, a senior from Arizona, delivered the rest, finishing in 14:20.30 and earning his career-best conference finish. The four points from the No. 5 finish clinched the title for the Huskies.

Washington now awaits the official announcement of the NCAA West Regional qualifiers, which comes on Thursday, where the team is expected to earn roughly a dozen bids.

Washington drops series to No. 23 Oregon on Senior Day

The Washington Huskies couldn’t pull off their third series victory over a ranked opponent on Sunday, losing to the Oregon Ducks.

The Washington Huskies couldn’t pull off the upset over their arch-rivals on Senior Day, losing 5-3 in the game and 2-1 in the series to the No. 23 Oregon Ducks. Coach Jason Kelly’s team fell behind 2-0 in the second inning but battled back in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-2 lead.

Catcher Colin Blanchard tied the game with a two-run double before third baseman Sam DeCarlo’s RBI double gave the Huskies an edge, but it didn’t last long. Oregon catcher Bennett Thompson knotted the game again in the top of the third inning before the Ducks took the lead for good in the fifth on an RBI single from left fielder Justin Cassella.

The Huskies struggled to get much going offensively, notching 7 hits, with only center fielder Cooper Whitton recording multiple during his 2 for 4 day.

Spencer Dessart took the loss for Washington, dropping to 2-6 on the season after letting up 6 hits, 3 walks, and 4 earned runs over 4 1/3 innings. Oregon’s Kevin Seitter earned the win, improving to 6-4, posting a final line of 6 hits, 2 walks, and 3 earned runs with 9 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.

With the loss, the Huskies dropped to 19-25-1 on the year and 10-17 against Pac-12 opponents, while the Ducks improved to 34-16 overall and 16-11 against conference foes. Next, Washington will hit the road for a Tuesday matchup with Portland, set to begin at 4:05.

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Washington softball to compete in Missouri regional

The Washington Huskies will start their journey to the Women’s College World Series in Missouri.

After being upset by the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Tournament, the chances of the Washington Huskies hosting an NCAA Regional became slim.

When the selections were announced on Sunday, the Huskies found out that they would have to travel to Columbia, Missouri to begin postseason play where the No. 7 seeded Missouri Tigers will host the Regional matchup.

Washington will compete with Missouri, Indiana, and Omaha for a spot in the Super Regionals. If coach Heather Tarr’s team were to advance, they would compete with the winner of the No. 10 Regional, hosted by the Duke Blue Devils.

First, the Huskies will open their quest to the Women’s College World Series on Friday against the Indiana Hoosiers in the first game of the Regional. A team needs 3 wins in the round before 2 losses to secure a spot in the Super Regionals, the entire schedule is listed below

  • Friday, May 17
    • Washington vs. Indiana
    • No. 7 seed Missouri (host) vs. Omaha
  • Saturday, May 18
    • Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
    • Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
    • Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
  • Sunday, May 19
    • Game 6 | TBD
    • Game 7 ​​​​​​​if necessary | TBD

Washington baseball’s Arquette is quickly becoming a star

The Washington Huskies have a budding star on their hands in sophomore second baseman Aiva Arquette.

Coach Jason Kelly and the Washington Huskies have an exciting star on their hands in sophomore second baseman Aiva Arquette. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound product of Saint Louis High School in Hawaii was selected in the eighteenth round of the 2022 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks but opted to enroll at Washington instead, and it appears he made the right decision.

He has been one of the Pac-12’s biggest breakout players during his sophomore season, starting 42 games for the Huskies with an impressive .356 batting average out of the leadoff spot, the best mark on the team.

Arquette also leads the Huskies with his 1.056 OPS, 65 hits, and 117 total bases while his 12 home runs are the second-highest behind left fielder AJ Guerrero. The sophomore has been excellent out of the leadoff spot, setting the tone and getting on base consistently with his team-high .414 on-base percentage and 42 runs scored.

He’s also been very good on the defensive end, holding a .970 fielding percentage for the year with 6 errors on 200 chances.

As the Huskies sit multiple games below .500 with the Pac-12 Tournament looming, Arquette looks like he can be an exciting building block for Kelly’s team heading into 2025.

Combined with other veteran pieces like Guerrero and first baseman Jeter Ybarra next season, the Huskies could be a dark horse team heading into the Big Ten with Arquette leading the way.

No. 23 Oregon evens series with Washington behind 13-6 victory

The Washington Huskies tried to hang with the No. 23 Ducks, but Oregon’s offense was too much to handle.

The No. 23 Oregon Ducks overwhelmed coach Jason Kelly and the Washington Huskies on Saturday, earning a 13-6 victory and tying the season series at 1-1.

Left fielder Mason Neville opened the scoring in the top of the first inning with a two-run before second baseman Aiva Arquette responded with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the frame. Arquette’s homer was his twelfth of the season, moving him into second place on the team behind left fielder AJ Guerrero.

After second baseman Drew Smith extended Oregon’s lead to 4-1 in the second, center fielder Cooper Whitton cut the deficit to 4-3 with a two-run home run, before Guerrero took a bases-loaded walk to tie the game.

That would be the closest Washington got for the rest of the night, as the Ducks regained the lead in the third inning thanks to a two-run home run from Maddox Moloney, and added to it in the fourth with a solo shot from Carter Garate.

Guerrero cut the lead down to 7-6 with a two-run double in the fourth but that was all for Washington’s offense, which recorded just two hits over the game’s final five innings. Catcher Chase Meggers added to Oregon’s lead with a two-run home run in the sixth and a bases-clearing double in the seventh as part of a 2 for 4 day with 2 runs scored and 5 runs batted in.

Starter Calvin Kirchoff took the loss for the Huskies, dropping to 4-4 on the year after surrendering 8 hits, 3 walks, and 9 earned runs over 5 1/3 innings while striking out 7 Ducks. Brock Moore earned his third win of the year, working 5 scoreless innings with 3 hits, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts.

The loss pushes the Huskies to 19-24-1 on the year and 10-16 in Pac-12 play while the Ducks improved to 33-16 overall and 15-11 against conference foes. The two teams will play for the series on Sunday afternoon at 12:05.

Washington baseball scores 7 unanswered runs to upset No. 23 Oregon

The Washington Huskies pulled off an impressive upset of the No. 23 Oregon Ducks on Friday.

The Washington Huskies got off to a rough start against the Oregon Ducks on Friday night, falling behind 6-0 in the fourth inning. The Ducks saw three home runs across the third and fourth innings from shortstop Maddox Molony, left fielder Mason Neville, and second baseman Drew Smith before the Huskies could get on the board.

Then, coach Jason Kelly’s team started to rally in the bottom of the fourth inning, as first baseman Jeter Ybarra hit a two-run home run before catcher Colin Blanchard and third baseman Sam DeCarlo hit back-to-back RBI singles to cut Oregon’s lead to 6-4.

Center fielder Cooper Whitton tied the game in the sixth inning with a two-run home run, before left fielder AJ Guerrero put the Huskies ahead for good with an RBI single in the seventh.

Guerrero continued his hot streak after a strong weekend against the Arizona State Sun Devils, going 3 for 4 with a run batted in and a run scored.

Gianluca Shinn earned his second win of the season after working 1 1/3 perfect innings in relief, while Ryan Featherston took his second loss of the year, letting up 3 hits and 1 earned run over 1 inning.

The win moves the Huskies to 19-23-1 on the season and 10-15 in Pac-12 play, while the Ducks fell to 32-16 overall and 14-11 against conference opponents. The two teams will meet for the second installment of their three-game series on Saturday evening at 5:05.

Washington softball gets run-ruled by Arizona in Pac-12 Tournament

The Washington Huskies got ousted in the first round of the final Pac-12 softball tournament.

Thursday brought a perfect storm of struggles as the Washington Huskies lost to the Arizona Wildcats 11-3 at the Pac-12 Tournament. Coach Heather Tarr’s team got off to a slow start at the plate and in the circle, falling behind 4-0 by the end of the second inning.

The Wildcats were all over Huskies ace Ruby Meylan, who took the loss to fall to 9-9 on the season after letting up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 4 earned runs over just 1 2/3 innings. Although the Huskies got some traffic on the bases, they couldn’t manage to push any runs across until the fourth inning.

Alana Johnson hit her team-leading thirteenth home run of the season to cut the deficit to 5-2, before Giselle Alvarez hit her third homer of the year to go back-to-back, trimming Arizona’s lead to 5-3. But that would be all for the Huskies offensively.

Designated player Olivia DiNardo answered with a two-run home run in the fifth inning to make the score 7-3, as she led the way for the Wildcats, going 3 for 4 with 5 runs batted in.

Washington’s pitching staff was shaky in relief of Meylan, as first-year Sidne Peters started strong, but let up 3 hits and 3 runs (2 earned). Lindsay Lopez worked the final inning and faced similar struggles to Meylan, allowing 4 hits and 4 earned runs in the sixth inning. [lawrence-related id=3298]

Washington softball to open Pac-12 Tournament against Arizona

The Washington Huskies will start the Pac-12 Tournament against the No. 18 Arizona Wildcats.

The No. 12 Washington Huskies will see a familiar foe to open the Pac-12 Tournament in the No. 18 Arizona Wildcats. The teams met for a three-game series in March and the Huskies took two of the three, winning the Friday and Saturday contests by the 8-run rule.

Coach Heather Tarr’s team will look for the same power surge that saw them score 24 runs over the first two days before being shut out in the series finale. The Huskies saw Arizona ace Aissa Silva very well, tallying 11 hits and 8 runs off her in Tucson, and will look to carry that success into Stanford.

Washington’s offense hit 8 home runs against the Wildcats in the series, with 2 from Alana Johnson and Jillian Celis. Kinsey Fiedler, Olivia Johnson, Brooke Nelson, and Sydney Stewart also went deep and if the Huskies can find their groove at the plate, they should be one of the favorites to win the tournament.

In the circle, Ruby Meylan and Lindsay Lopez both had success against Arizona. Meylan allowed 9 hits, 6 walks, and 5 earned runs over 9 2/3 innings while striking out 16 batters. Lopez let up 3 hits and 3 earned runs across 6 innings of work with 5 strikeouts.

First pitch is set for 6:30 on Thursday night on the Pac-12 Network as the Huskies make a push to host an NCAA Regional matchup. [lawrence-related id=3298]