Voth shines, but Huskies drop home-opening series

The Washington baseball team came into its first home series struggling, having dropped six of its first eight games, all on the road. The Huskies needed a series win to shift momentum and get their 2013 campaign rolling. This weekend, it was not meant to be. The Huskies dropped two of three games to visiting Cal Poly. After earning a win Friday night behind their ace Austin Voth, the Huskies could not keep the energy going, as they dropped afternoon contests Saturday and Sunday to fall to 3-8. “We had some decent moments on the mound, but beyond that, offensively, we just haven’t gotten going,” head coach Lindsay Meggs said. “We haven’t turned the corner and that, for me, was the toughest part of this weekend, because I thought we would swing the bats better.” In Friday’s series opener, the Huskies rode the right arm of Voth, getting just enough timely hitting to win 2-1. Voth was masterful for the second-straight start, giving up six hits and one run in 7 1/3 innings of work, striking out nine in the process. Closer Tyler Kane retired four batters, working out of a jam in the eighth, for his second save of the season. “Austin always had a power arm, but he’s learned how to pitch,” Meggs said. “He’s learned to throw a slider for a strike and a changeup for a strike. He’s the one guy we can throw out there now with some pitchability, and it shows.” Cal Poly took a lead in the fourth on a solo home run by outfielder Nick Torres. But that lead did not last long, as UW second baseman Robert Pehl continued his hot start with an RBI double in the bottom of the inning. The score remained 1-1 until the seventh, when Pehl doubled and scored on a two-out single by senior Michael Camporeale. The Mustangs recovered Saturday, winning 5-3 behind the power stroke of Torres. Coming off of his first home run of the season Friday, Torres left the yard twice Saturday, driving in all five Cal Poly runs. Behind right-hander Nick Palewicz, the Huskies got on the board first with a two-out rally in the third. Senior Joe Meggs hustled out an infield single, stole second, and scored on an opposite field double by classmate Jayce Ray. Pehl followed that up with a run-scoring single. But Palewicz ran into trouble in the fourth. After a walk and a hit batter, Torres stepped up and launched a three-run home run down the left field line. Two innings later, he kept another ball down the left field line just fair for a two-run home run, which ended Palewicz’s day in the sixth. The UW added one more in the bottom of the inning but could not push another runner across home plate despite multiple opportunities. Sunday afternoon saw the Huskies fall 5-1, with all of the runs being scored by the end of the fourth inning. Torres continued to torch the UW’s pitching staff, as he opened the scoring in the first on an RBI double. But the Huskies came back in the bottom of the inning, with Ray coming across on a wild pitch to tie the score. Starter Tyler Davis worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second to keep the game tied. Cal Poly broke it open in the fourth. After giving up a run, Davis left with the bases loaded. Junior Zach Wright replaced him and promptly gave up a three-run double to Cal Poly’s Jimmy Allen, which gave the Mustangs the final 5-1 lead. The Huskies had chances throughout to cut the deficit down, but they left 10 men on base and missed multiple opportunities to score. “The difference in the weekend was the at-bats they took with runners in scoring position and the at-bats that we didn’t take,” Meggs said. “We just have to have a better plan during those key moments during a game.” Next up for the UW is a home game Tuesday against Seattle University. It will be the first of four meetings this year between the crosstown rivals, and both teams are desperate for wins. The Redhawks will enter the game 3-9, just one fewer loss than the UW has. Reach reporter Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @drubens1

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