Grant Taylor Strikes Out School-Record 17, Fires 1-Hit Shutout in Seattle

SEATTLE (March 28, 2024) – Washington State senior righthander Grant Taylor set a school record with 17 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout victory over Washington 4-0 at Husky Ballpark Thursday evening.
 
Taylor broke the previous record of 16 strikeouts set by John Olerud against Eastern Washington in 1988 and WSU Pac-10/12 mark of 13 set by James Freeman (2005, at SE Louisiana), matched by Matt Way (2009, Washington) and Zane Mills (2021, at Dixie State). Taylor's one-hit shutout is the first shutout by a Cougar since he shutout Arizona State in 2022 and is the first one-hitter since Taylor and three relievers one-hit No. 15 Oregon State in Corvallis last season.
 
The senior did not walk or hit a batter and allowed just a first-inning two-out infield single before retiring the next 25 Husky hitters.
 
WSU scored three in the third inning on a Kyle Russell RBI-single and a two-run single from Casen Taggart who finished two hits, and Trey Cruz hit a solo homer in the fourth inning.
 
KEY MOMENTS OF THE GAME
In the first, the Cougars put runners on second and third with one out but UW kept the Cougars off the board with a groundout and fly out. WSU struck for three runs in the third inning as Russell singled home Crew Parke and Taggart followed with a rocket single through the shift and past a diving shortstop into left-centerfield to score two runs for a 3-0 lead.
 
In the fourth, Cruz made it a 4-0 game with a no-doubt solo shot to right field for his first home run as a Cougar.
 
Taylor was locked in throughout the night, posting a scoreless first inning and struck out 10 straight hitters at one point after striking out the final hitter in the first and then struck out the side in the second, third and fourth innings before the first UW batter flew out to center to start the fifth inning. Taylor retired the next two hitters in the frame before striking out the side for a fourth time in the sixth inning.
 
Taylor recorded two more strikeouts in the eighth inning and worked a perfect ninth with a strikeout, flyout to right field and a popout to shortstop.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Kyle Russell singled in the 3rd inning to extend his on-base streak to 9 games
Joey Kramer singled in the 5th inning to extend his on-base streak to 18
Taggart and Jacob Morrow each collected 2 hits
 
NEXT UP
The series in Seattle continues Friday at 7:05 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.