Offense takes charge in Husky sweep of USC

Things finally went right for the UW baseball team this weekend, as the offense finally delivered to lead the Dawgs to a sweep of USC.

The Huskies (28-16, 8-7 Pac-10) beat the Trojans (21-25, 7-11 Pac-10) Friday, 5-4, on stellar pitching by Jorden Merry and timely hitting by Kyle Conley. They won Saturday 10-2 on an impressive offensive display, and came out on top yesterday in another blowout, 11-4.

UW coach Ken Knutson said that now that the Huskies have gotten back over the .500 mark, they will continue to look forward.

“Winning down there gives us something to play for next week and hopefully beyond,” he said.

He can thank Conley, a junior from Richland, Wash., who led the way for the Huskies by going 8-for-10 in the series with four runs and nine runs-batted-in. Two of those RBIs came in the close 5-4 victory Friday, in which Merry pitched 7 2/3 innings and gave up only two runs to earn his team-high seventh victory.

It was, in fact, usually solid junior left-handed pitcher Nick Haughian who surrendered two late runs to the Trojans to make the game 5-4. Despite the close call in the ninth inning, the Huskies prevailed, winning their first Pac-10 road game since April 19 against Cal.

And so it began, as Conley was only a channel for the rest of the team, which awoke from its Pac-10 slumber by bashing Trojan pitchers all weekend.

“[Conley] had a huge weekend. Just about every at bat was good,” Knutson said. “He was the catalyst for a lot of our success, and it gets a little bit contagious. Get one guy hot and two or three more follow.”

The Huskies piled on 10 runs Saturday, with an enormous six RBIs afternoon from junior catcher Brett Wilcox and another three from Conley on two home runs. The team as a whole showed discipline against USC starting pitcher Brad Boxberger and relievers, going 13-for-38 at the plate and drawing six walks.

UW sophomore Cam Nobles pitched five strong innings of two-run ball to earn his fourth win (4-3), while Paul Dickey finished off the rest of the game by throwing four scoreless frames.

But it didn’t end there, as the Dawgs dominated again Sunday to sweep the Trojans in majestic fashion.

They probably didn’t have to pile on 11 runs, because Pac-10 strikeout leader Haughian took the hill, only giving up one unearned run in five innings to give the Huskies a third-straight solid outing.

Knutson said having the offense get on board quickly, and with force, takes away pressure from the pitchers.

“It gives you some room to breath,” he said. “You can make a few mistakes and get away with it.”

Ultimately, it was Conley again who led the way for the Dawgs, going two-for-three Sunday with four RBIs. Right-fielder Andy Lentz added four hits of his own, and first baseman Troy Scott contributed three hits and two RBIs to give the Dawgs an 11-4 win and two consecutive blowouts.

The Dawgs will now look to a big weekend matchup against Washington State.

“We’re just trying to get better every day,” Knutson said. “Just keep playing consistent baseball.”