The Washington Huskies took the rubber game of its 2008 Apple Cup series with the Washington State Cougars at Husky Ballpark. The Dawgs were led by former Wenatchee AppleSox Kyle Conley and Nick Haughian. Conley homered twice (and went 3 for 3 with 4 RBI) and Haughian threw a complete game four-hitter (and struck out 11) in UW’s 5-1 series clinching win.

Conley also homered and went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI in Washington’s 12-3 series opening win.

The junior outfielder from Richland, Washington leads the Huskies in homers with 16 and was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for the week of April 28-May 4. Conley went 8 for 10 with 2 HR and 9 RBI vs. USC in the Dawgs three-game road sweep. Kyle’s bat did not cool off in the Apple Cup.

Conley and Haughian were teammates with the Sox in 2006. Conley hit .207 with 5 doubles and 13 RBI (116 at bats) and Haughian led the WCCBL in saves with 9. Nick is signed up to pitch for the Corvallis Knights this summer.

Former AppleSox hurler Jayson Miller of WSU forced Sunday’s rubber game as the senior southpaw tossed a complete game and struck out 9 in the Cougars 5-1 victory on Saturday. Miller went 5-1 with a 2.29 ERA as an AppleSox in the summer of 2005.

Senior WSU first baseman Jim Murphy hit his team leading 13th homerun and went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI to support Miller. Murphy earned first-team All-WCCBL honors last summer with Corvallis.

Cougar second baseman Michael Weber also added two doubles and went 3 for 5 in Washington State’s win. The previous weekend, Weber led the Cougs to a home series win over the back-to-back national champion Oregon State Beavers as Weber collected 10 RBI in the series. Weber played for the Bend Elks last summer.

Weber’s Bend Elks teammates – Brian Pearl and Paul Dickey – were instrumental in Washington’s series opening Apple Cup victory as was former AppleSox Jorden Merry. Merry raised his record to a perfect 8-0 (2.31 ERA) by twirling 7 innings to earn the win. Merry allowed 4 hits and 3 runs while walking only one and striking out 5. Paul Dickey pitched a scoreless eighth for the Dawgs and sophomore third baseman Brian Pearl went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI.

Ex-AppleSox pitcher Elliott Cribby finished with a scoreless ninth in UW’s series opening 12-3 win. The senior right-hander pitched for Wenatchee in 2005 and 2007. Senior catcher Joey Dunn, who caught all three Apple Cup games for the Dawgs, was Cribby’s battery mate in Wenatchee in 2005.

Apple Cup Notes:

* The Huskies top three hitters all played in the WCCBL: Aaron Russell and Conley for Wenatchee and Andy Lentz for the Knights. Russell, a sophomore infielder, played last summer for the Sox and is hitting .397 this spring (73 at bats). Conley is batting .342 with a team leading 16 HR, 117 total bases, 43 runs, 12 doubles and 52 RBI. Lentz, a senior outfielder, is hitting .340 with 4 HR, 9 doubles and 19 RBI (100 at bats).
* Haughian is 6-4 with a 2.98 ERA. The junior southpaw has struck out 99 over a team leading 84 2/3 innings pitched and 13 starts.
* Junior lefty Matt Way of WSU pitched six strong innings for the Cougars in the series opener. He struck out 7 and left the game with the scored tied 3-3. Way was named the top prospect at the 2007 WCCBL All-Star game by MLB scouts. He earned first-team All-WCCBL honors with Corvallis. Way is 3-3 with a team low 3.79 ERA for Wazzou.
* Jayson Miller is 7-1 and has posted a 4.30 ERA over a team leading 12 starts and 83 2/3 innings pitched for the Cougs.
* 2006 WCCBL Pitcher of the Year Ross Humes leads the Cougars in saves with 5. Humes pitched the last two summers with the Kitsap BlueJackets.
* 21 alums of WCCBL teams played in this year’s Apple Cup series.