UW desperate for a win vs. Redhawks

Mar 5, 2013, 12:00 AM

A bad start to the season has the Washington baseball team in a hole. Now comes the hard part: climbing out of it. Left reeling by two losses in three games to Cal Poly last weekend, the Huskies will try to right the ship at home tonight against city rival Seattle University. This will be the first of four meetings this season between the crosstown foes, three of which will be hosted by the UW. The first matchup is at 5 p.m. at Husky Ballpark. The game takes on even more importance considering the UW’s poor start and its challenging upcoming schedule. After playing the Redhawks, the Huskies will make their first-ever trip to the Southeastern Conference for a three-game set with No. 4 LSU. After a single game against Portland, the UW will then begin conference play with a three-game series at No. 9 UCLA. The Huskies (3-8) enter tonight’s game on a major cold streak. They dropped three of four to both UC Davis and Lamar prior to losing two at home to Cal Poly. Now, the UW is looking for anything to get itself going. “Any time we get a chance to take the field right now, it’s important for us to take that opportunity,” head coach Lindsay Meggs said. “Tuesday is a big day for us. We need to prove to ourselves that we can play a nine-inning baseball game, which we really haven’t done yet.” While the Huskies have endured major struggles, Seattle is not playing much better. The Redhawks (3-9) also failed to start the season well. They bring some momentum into the game, however, having taken two of three from Long Beach State last weekend. Despite the Redhawks’ subpar start, Meggs had nothing but praise for the Seattle program. “Those guys are well coached,” Meggs said. “We understand that for them to beat us, it would be a big win. As poorly as we are playing right now, it would be a big win, and any win for us is important.” One quick fix the Huskies would love to see is improved hitting with runners in scoring position. The UW left 10 runners on base in Sunday’s 5-1 loss to Cal Poly and went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. As a team, the Huskies hit .238 with men in scoring position over the three-game series, a number that must improve for the UW to start scoring more consistently. “Everyone on the team needs to come up to the plate ready to go,” second baseman Robert Pehl said. “The pitcher is going to pitch you differently with a guy in scoring position. It’s going to be tougher, and we have to go there with that toughness and not give in.” Pehl has been one of the few Huskies to start his season on the right foot. Through 11 games, Pehl is hitting .359 with a home run and five doubles. He leads the team with seven RBIs. “I’ve just been relaxing and trusting myself and believing myself,” Pehl said. “I’m not trying to press, and I’ve just been doing what I’ve been able to do all my life, playing this game.” Reach reporter Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @Drubens12

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