Washington pitching staff strikes out 17 in 8-1 win over Portland

The Washington Huskies jumped out to an early lead over the Portland Pilots on Tuesday evening and rode that momentum all the way to an 8-1 victory at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.

Left fielder Jackson Hotchkiss fueled a five-run second inning with a three-run home run as part of a 3-for-6 day with a pair of runs scored, where he came up a double shy of the cycle, while third baseman Blake Wilson reached base four times, going 3-for-4 with a walk. While coach Eddie Smith's offense had no trouble with the Pilots' pitching, racking up 15 hits, UW's pitching staff was the story of the day.

Junior Jack Wade earned his first win of the season after the left-hander let up a run on 2 walks and 2 hit batters with 8 strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings of work, while the Pilots struggled to see the ball all night.

Wade gave way to the trio of Carson Boesel, Tyler Walker, and Liam Lierman, who combined to surrender just 2 hits while racking up 9 strikeouts, giving the Huskies 17 K's on the day in one of their best pitching performances of the season.

Carter Gaston took the loss for the Pilots and dropped to 4-2 on the year after the starter was able to make it through just 2 innings, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits with a walk in the process.

With the win, the Huskies improved to 18-22 on the year. Next, they'll head to Ann Arbor for a three-game series with the Michigan Wolverines, which is set to begin on Friday, April 24, at 1:00 p.m. PT.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies rack up 17 K's in 8-1 win over Portland Pilots