Big Inning Costs Beavers
April 21, 2000 | Baseball
April 21, 2000
BERKELEY, Calif. - Oregon State gave up five unearned runs in a seven-run third inning as the Beavers fell to California 15-9 in Pacific-10 baseball Friday afternoon at Evans Diamond. OSU (22-19 overall, 4-7 Pacific-10) lost despite a pair of homers by Zach Gordon and a three-run homer by Joe Gerber.
The Beavers and Cal (21-21, 9-8) finish their series Saturday at 1 p.m. The game can be heard on KLOO-AM (1340) as OSU again tries to capture the series, the Beavers won the opener 12-4.
Oregon State starting pitcher Scott Nicholson took the loss, ending his two-game win streak. The outing also ended Nicholson's string of three straight complete games, he went 4 1/3 innings and allowed nine runs (four earned) on 10 hits and four walks while striking out four.
"We didn't pitch well and we didn't make some plays that we've been making," OSU head coach Pat Casey said. "And we gave up that big inning."
That was the third, when OSU took a 4-0 lead into the bottom half of the inning after Gerber's three-run homer to left center in the top of the inning. Cal came back with a pair of runs but the Beavers had a chance to get out of the inning still in front 4-2.
The Bears' Clint Hoover was at the plate with two out and a runner at second and he grounded a ball to Beaver second baseman Zach Gordon, who bobbled the ball for an error to put runners at the corners. After Nicholson walked Rob Meyer, David Sark grounded a single through the left side to drive in two runs and make it 4-4.
Cal then got a bloop single from Jason Williams to drive in the go-ahead run, Brad Smith singled home another run to make it 6-4 and a throwing error by Rod Gott advanced runners to second and third on the play, and catcher Bryan Ingram then threw the ball into leftfield trying to pick off a runner at third to score the final run of the inning and make it 7-4.
The Beavers got back within 7-5 on Gordon's solo homer to left in the top of the fourth, but Cal scored twice in each of the fifth through eighth innings to thwart any OSU comeback attempts. Gordon added a two-run homer in the top of the eighth, and Oregon State managed a pair of runs in the ninth.
Gerber's homer gave him 58 RBIs, just four short of OSU's single-season school record. He also hit his 17th double of the season in the game, that ties him for fourth on the school's list of single-season leaders and is just two away from the season record.
Brian Barden extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games with a 3-for-5 day, while Will Hudson was 2-for-3.
Cal starter Trevor Hutchinson got the win, as the righthander went 6 1/3 innings and allowed five runs (all earned) on six hits, walking five and striking out eight. Mike Tonis was 3-for-5 with a double to lead the Bears' 18-hit attack.
CALIFORNIA 13, OREGON STATE 9
Oregon State 013 100 022 - 9 13 3 California 007 022 22x - 15 18 0Hutchinson, Cuccias (7), Meyer (9) and Tonis. Nicholson, Copeland (5), Stykel (6), McLemore (9) and Ingram, Biles (7). WP-Hutchinson (4-3). LP-Nicholson (6-5). 2B-Gerber (OSU), Tonis 2 (UC), Meyer (UC). 3B-Hoover (UC). HR-Gerber (OSU), Gordon 2 (OSU), Weiner (UC), Williams (UC).
HITS: Oregon State 13 (Hudson 2x3, Gerber 2x5, Barden 3x5, Jarvis 1x5, Biles 1x1, Gordon 2x5, Dryden 1x1, Stark 1x3), California 18 (Weiner 1x5, Callen 1x5, Tonis 3x5, Nady 2x4, Hoover 2x5, Meyer 2x4, Sark 2x4, Baker 1x1, Williams 3x5, Smith 1x3). RUNS BATTED IN: Oregon State 8 (Gerber 3, Barden 1, Biles 1, Gordon 3), California 14 (Weiner 2, Tonis 2, Nady 1, Hoover 1, Meyer 1, Sark 3, Williams 3, Smith 1).
