Beavers Take Two To Start Tournament
February 24, 2000 | Baseball
Feb. 24, 2000
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Oregon State broke out of its batting slump with 18 runs and 27 hits Thursday as the Beavers beat West Virginia 9-6 and Nevada 9-5 on the first day of the Nevada-Las Vegas/Coors Desert Classic baseball tournament at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. OSU (3-5 overall, 0-0 Pacific-10) will play Santa Clara at 11 a.m. Friday at Burkholder Field in Henderson, Nev.
The Beavers had to hold off a rally by West Virginia (0-4, 0-0 Big East) to win Thursday morning's game, then came from behind to beat Nevada (8-6, 0-0 Big West). The Wolfpack, which owns wins over Pacific-10 teams Stanford and Arizona this season, earned votes in this week's USA Today coaches poll.
"It was good to see us hit," said OSU head coach Pat Casey, whose team had been limited to 15 hits in a three-game sweep by No. 23 Fresno State last weekend. "More than that, this was the first time this team decided to get its hands dirty and go battle people. Nevada is a good team, West Virginia was scrappy and did a nice job of keeping itself in the game."
Against West Virginia, Scott Nicholson pitched his first career win for OSU, as the lefthander went seven innings and gave up five runs (all earned) on nine hits, walking none and striking out five. For the first time this season, Nicholson consistently threw his breaking ball for strikes and worked ahead in the count.
"I've been working in the bullpen a lot more and getting a better feel for it," Nicholson said of his curveball. "I'm feeling like I can get it over any time for a strike."
The Beavers staked Nicholson to a 6-0 led by the middle of the third inning. With centerfielder Eric Stark out due to a groin pull, replacement Jackson Coleman had a two-run single and a run-scoring double in his first two trips to the plate to key the OSU offense.
Rod Gott and Zach Gordon also had run-scoring doubles in Oregon State's four-run second inning, and shortstop Will Hudson added a run-scoring single in the third as part of his 3-for-4 game. The Mountaineers began getting to Nicholson, though, and crept within 6-5 by the end of the seventh inning.
"They changed their plan the second time through the order," Nicholson said. "They made an adjustment and scored a few runs, so I had to adjust. I did that, and they couldn't stay with it."
OSU gave itself a cushion with three runs in the top of the eighth inning, getting a two-run single by Brian Barden and a run-scoring single by Joe Gerber. Paul Hansen then pitched the final two innings for the Beavers to wrap up the game and Nicholson's first major-college win.
"It was a big relief when Paul got that last out," Nicholson said.
Against Nevada, Oregon State came back from deficits of 2-1, 3-2 and 5-4 before tying the game in the sixth inning and going in front for good with four runs in the seventh. Lefhander Craig Hays earned his first win of the year with four scoreless innings in relief of Mark Newell, Hays allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out one.
OSU tied the game on Drew Hedges' run-scoring single in the sixth. An inning later, OSU used a one-out double to right-center by Andy Jarvis to start the game-breaking rally. Brian Barden followed with a walk before pinch-hitter Curtis Davis lined out to center field, leaving runners at first and second with two down.
Gott then poked a single to left-center and Jarvis was waved around third representing the go-ahead run. The throw beat him to the plate but reached Nevada catcher Christian Popoff up the line toward third base, Jarvis threw himself headfirst toward the plate inside the foul line, contorting himself around Popoff's tag attempt and sweeping his right hand across the plate to give OSU a 6-5 lead.
Jarvis had no idea how close the play might be as he headed around third.
"Coach (Dan Spencer) waved me in, and I saw the ball was up the line," Jarvis said. "I just slid inside ... he never tagged me."
After Coleman was hit by a pitch, Hudson delivered a line drive to center to drive in two more runs, and Hedges followed with another run-scoring single to put OSU in front 9-5. Hedges, Bryan Ingram, Jarvis, Barden, Tim Dryden and Gott all had two hits each against the Wolfpack.
After the Beavers finished the win, they began looking forward to Friday's meeting with Santa Clara, which swept a four-game series from OSU last season.
"We've just got to go out there and stay hungry to play the game," Casey said.
OREGON STATE 9, WEST VIRGINIA 6
Oregon State 042 000 030 - 9 13 1 West Virginia 000 220 101 - 6 12 2Nicholson, Hansen (8) and Ingram. Tarajack, Stewart (7), Kirkland (8), Maust (8) and Cisneros. WP-Nicholson (1-2). LP-Tarajack (0-1). 2B-Carter (OSU), Gott (OSU), Coleman (OSU), Gordon (OSU), Reeser 2 (WVU), Weightman (WVU), Neumark (WVU). 3B-McMillen (WVU), Neumark (WVU).
HITS: Oregon State 13 (Ingram 1x5, Barden 1x5, Gerber 1x4, Carter 2x5, Hedges 1x1, Gott 1x4, Coleman 2x5, Gordon 1x4, Hudson 3x4), West Virginia 12 (Cisneros 2x5, Reeser 2x5, Olkowski 1x5, Weightman 1x3, Neff 1x1, Frownfelter 1x4, McCabe 1x2, McMillen 1x4, Neumark 2x4). RUNS BATTED IN: Oregon State 9 (Barden 2, Gerber 1, Gott 1, Coleman 3, Gordon 1, Hudson 1), West Virginia 6 (Cisneros 3, Olkowski 1, Weightman 1, McCabe 1).
OREGON STATE 9, NEVADA 5
Oregon State 112 001 400 - 9 14 3 Nevada 210 020 000 - 5 7 0Newell, Hays (6) and Ingram. Rainer, Schultz (3), Aiello (7), Hayes (9) and Popoff. WP-Hays (1-0). LP-Schultz (1-1). 2B-Jarvis (OSU). HR-Laidlaw (UN).
HITS: Oregon State 14 (Hedges 2x4, Ingram 2x5, Gerber 1x4, Jarvis 2x5, Barden 2x4, Dryden 2x3, Gott 2x4, Hudson 1x2), Nevada 7 (Inglett 1x4, Maguire 1x1, Church 1x4, Price 1x5, Rangel 2x4, Laidlaw 1x4). RUNS BATTED IN: Oregon State 8 (Hedges 2, Barden 1, Dryden 1, Gott 2, Hudson 2), Nevada 3 (Price 1, Laidlaw 2).
