OSU tops Cal State-Northridge 11-8
March 26, 2000 | Baseball
March 26, 2000
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State got two key hits from Drew Hedges to drive in three runs and a go-ahead home run from Eric Stark as the Beavers beat Cal State-Northridge 11-8 Sunday afternoon at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, wrapping up a non-league baseball series. OSU (16-11 overall, 0-0 Pacific-10), which also got a strong pitching start from Stephen Copeland, has now won 15 of its last 21 games going into its Pacific-10 opener against UCLA at home on Friday.
"Our goal for the weekend was to win every game," Beaver head coach Pat Casey said, whose team won three of four against the Matadors. "But realistically, you want to win three of four games ... it's tough to win four of four against anybody.
"Now we've got to come out next week in practice and find some ways to get better before we play UCLA. We played well as a club this weekend. You don't like giving up that many runs, but our staff is going to get better."
Copeland went 7 1/3 innings to improve to 3-0 this season, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and three walks while striking out three. He was hit on his pitching hand by a line drive in the third inning, then was nailed in the backside on a throw by catcher Chris Biles in the fifth inning but remained in the game.
"We've come to expect that from him," Casey said of the freshman righthander's outing. "It's not being gutty, it's just him. He takes a line drive off the hand, but he stays with it. He's going to give us everything he's got, and right now we've got a lot of people doing that."
The non-conference season has been a measure of the Beavers' improvement over a year ago. In 1999, it took OSU until May 7 to earn its 16th win en route to a 19-35 overall record.
Oregon State trailed 2-0 after one inning Sunday and CSUN starter Ivan Hernandez retired eight of the first nine Beaver hitters. Hedges got OSU started in the third inning with a two-out solo homer, though, and OSU added another run in the frame to get within 3-2.
Later, with OSU leading 7-4 and two out in the seventh, Hedges delivered a two-run single and an error on the play scored another run to put the Beavers up 10-4. Hedges' homer was his team-leading fourth of the season.
Stark had given Oregon State its first lead of the day at 5-3 on a two-run homer to left-centerfield in the bottom of the fourth inning. The junior outfielder went his first 104 games at OSU without a homer, then delivered longballs on back-to-back days this weekend.
After missing several games in late February with a groin injury, Stark is just warming up at the plate.
"I had to sit and watch while we had some guys get hot," Stark said, recalling a 12-game streak in which the Beavers hit .382 as a team. "When I got back, I was pressing and I started getting down on myself. I was going 0-for-3 or 1-for-4, and it grows and you find yourself in a funk.
"I'm not doing anything differently now. Baseball is weird - you get some balls to drop in and you get your confidence back. It's a matter of working hard and doing what the coaches ask, and it's paying off."
As for the power surge?
"It's one of the strange things about baseball," Stark said. "I wasn't getting some of those pitches earlier but I am now, and I took advantage of them."
Tim Dryden turned in another strong game at third base for the Beavers, driving in three runs despite managing only a single at the plate. He also started a tough double play to help OSU get out of the eighth inning with a 10-7 lead after CSUN scored three runs and had the bases loaded with one out.
"We're finding ways to make things exciting at the end," Casey said. "The pressure has been on him, and he's made some great plays."
OREGON STATE 11, CAL STATE-NORTHRIDGE 8
Cal State-Northridge 201 010 031 - 8 11 2 Oregon State 002 300 51x - 11 9 1Hernandez, Graves (3), Mendoza (5), Busby (7), Murphy (8) and Thompson. Copeland, Atwood (8) and Biles, Ingram (6). WP-Copeland (3-0). LP-Graves (0-1). 2B-Arroyo 2 (CSUN), Osuna (CSUN), Carter (OSU). 3B-Mendoza (CSUN). HR-Hedges (OSU), Stark (OSU).
HITS: Cal State-Northridge 11 (Watkins 1x4, Coltey 3x5, Mendoza 1x2, Stotts 1x1, Arroyo 2x2, Gorman 1x5, Thompson 1x4, Osuna 1x4), Oregon State 9 (Hedges 2x5, Stark 1x4, Carter 2x4, Dryden 1x4, Jarvis 1x1, Gordon 1x3, Hudson 1x2). RUNS BATTED IN: Cal State-Northridge 8 (Coltey 2, Mendoza 1, Gadient 1, Arroyo 2, Gorman 1, Thompson 1), Oregon State 10 (Hedges 3, Stark 2, Dryden 3, Gordon 1, Hudson 1).
