Johnson's Gem Goes For Naught
April 07, 2000 | Baseball
April 7, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - Thad Johnson threw a three-hitter but Oregon State was blanked by fourth-ranked Arizona State in a 1-0 Pacific-10 baseball loss Friday night at Packard Stadium. Johnson held down a Sun Devil offense that leads the nation in runs per game (11.25) and is second in team batting average (.346).
OSU (16-16 overall, 0-4 Pacific-10) and Arizona State (29-8, 5-2) continue their series Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games can be heard on KLOO-AM (1340).
On Friday night, Johnson walked two and struck out just one, but continually had Arizona State hitting the ball on the ground. The junior righthander picked up 16 outs on grounders, including four double plays turned by the Beavers.
"It was all defense," Johnson said. "I just threw it in there and let them hit it ... a couple of times I got out of rhythm a bit and got behind three balls, no strikes, but I just slowed things down a little. That, and getting double plays after you walk somebody helps."
ASU scored the game's only run in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Brooks Conrad doubled to right-centerfield, he took second on a wild pitch and scored on Mike Lopez's sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile, ASU sophomore lefty Jon Switzer and closer Eric Doble combined on a six-hitter, with Switzer striking out 10 in his eight innings of work. OSU stranded 11 runners, including six in scoring position.
"Thad Johnson pitched his rear off and we played defense the best we have all year," OSU head coach Pat Casey said. "We just didn't compete at the plate. Their guy was good, but I don't think he was good enough to shut us out. We had several opportunities to score runs, and we just didn't do it."
The Beavers moved the tying run as far as third base in the top of the ninth inning, but Doble fanned pinch-hitter Tim Dryden to end the game. OSU left the bases loaded in both the second and fourth innings, in the second, it looked as though Will Hudson's grounder up the middle would sneak through for a two-run single but ASU second baseman Conrad cut the ball off behind the bag and his throw nipped Hudson at first.
"I think we know we're a good enough team to beat them," Johnson said. "We outhit them and we've got a good pitching staff ... this shows we can compete with them."
NO. 4 ARIZONA STATE 1, OREGON STATE 0
Oregon State 000 000 000 - 0 6 0 Arizona State 010 000 00x - 1 3 1
Johnson and Ingram. Switzer, Doble (9) and Myers. WP - Switzer (7-1). LP - Johnson (3-4). SV - Doble (4). 2B - Stark (OSU), Conrad (ASU).
HITS: Oregon State 6 (Stark 1x4, Barden 1x4, Gordon 1x4, Ingram 1x3, Gott 1x3, Coleman 1x1), Arizona State 3 (Jones 2x2, Conrad 1x2). RUNS BATTED IN: Oregon State 0, Arizona State 1 (Lopez 1).
