Beavers' Rally Goes For Naught
February 25, 2000 | Baseball
Feb. 25, 2000
HENDERSON, Nev. - Oregon State overcame a seven-run deficit to force extra innings, but the Beavers finally fell to Santa Clara 12-10 in 12 innings Friday afternoon in the Nevada-Las Vegas/Coors Desert Classic baseball tournament at Burkholder Field. OSU (3-6 overall, 0-0 Pacific-10) continues tourney play Saturday at 5 p.m. against host UNLV, the Beavers are 2-1 in the seven-team event.
Against Santa Clara (4-9, 0-0 West Coast), Oregon State trailed 6-0 in the middle of the fourth inning and 10-3 after six. The Beavers then erupted with seven runs in the eighth inning to tie the game, and OSU had runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth and 10th innings but couldn't push across the game-winner.
"Give our club credit for coming back and competing," OSU head coach Pat Casey said after the four-hour, 19-minute marathon. "But the tone was set when we gave up a couple of runs in the first inning and went down one-two-three in the first three innings."
The Broncos chased Oregon State starting pitcher Thad Johnson after just four innings, as the righthander gave up six runs (all earned) on six hits and five walks, striking out two. Santa Clara then got to OSU reliever Adam Barker for four more runs (two earned) over the fifth and sixth innings to make it 10-3.
But righthander Nick Renault came out of the bullpen to shut SCU down in the seventh and eighth innings, setting the stage for the Beavers' eighth-inning outburst. Bronco starter Camden Kelley had held OSU in check for seven innings, allowing three runs (all earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out six.
Oregon State found its luck better against Santa Clara's bullpen, getting its seven runs on five hits, three walks and a hit batter. The big blows were Joe Gerber's two-run double off the top of the centerfield wall, Andy Jarvis' first career home run that drove in two more runs, and Drew Hedges' two-run single to right-center that finally tied the game with two out.
"I felt real good about the way we came back and scored seven runs," Casey said. "Then we had guys in scoring position in the next few innings and didn't bring them in, so maybe we don't deserve to win it."
SCU righthander Jim DeMartini issued three walks in the bottom of the ninth and the Beavers had the bases loaded with two outs, but DeMartini struck out OSU's Bryan Ingram to end the threat. Two more walks put Beavers at first and second with two out in the bottom of the 10th, but DeMartini fanned Jarvis for the final out.
OSU closer James Atwood kept pace, blanking Santa Clara in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings. In the 12th, however, he walked Norm Hayes to start the inning and Mike Balestreri sacrificed him to second with a two-strike bunt. John Hilvert's groundout to second sent Hayes to third, then Atwood walked Eliot Wheeler and Wheeler stole second.
That brought up Matt Queen, and he sliced Atwood's three-ball, one-strike single into right-centerfield for a two-run single that made it 12-10. Atwood wound up throwing four innings, giving up the two runs on four hits and four walks, striking out two.
"We just had too many walks as a staff (10) and too many strikeouts (10) as a team," Casey said. "But that's a tough one to lose after fighting and coming back the way we did. We need to win that game."
Chris Biles, getting his first start at catcher, went 3-for-3 for Oregon State while Gerber was 2-for-5 and Hedges and Dryden were 2-for-6, with Dryden collecting a triple.
SANTA CLARA 12, OREGON STATE 10 (12 INNINGS)
Santa Clara 200 422 000 002 - 12 13 1 Oregon State 000 210 070 000 - 10 11 3Kelley, Mallen (8), Jakubauskas (8), Sparr (8), DeMartini (9) and Wallace, Hayes (9). Johnson, Barker (5), Renault (7), Wray (9), Atwood (9) and Biles, Ingram (9). WP-DeMartinia (1-0). LP-Atwood (0-2). 2B-Gerber (OSU), Biles (OSU). 3B-Wheeler (SCU), Dryden (OSU). HR-Jarvis (OSU).
HITS: Santa Clara 13 (Wheeler 3x5, Queen 3x7, Hinton 3x6, Headley 1x3, Peavey 1x3, Balestreri 3x5), Oregon State 11 (Hedges 2x6, Barden 1x3, Gerber 2x5, Jarvis 1x5, Dryden 2x6, Biles 3x3). RUNS BATTED IN: Santa Clara 11 (Wheeler 3, Queen 3, Hinton 2, Gomes 1, Headley 1, Peavey 1), Oregon State 8 (Hedges 2, Barden 1, Gerber 2, Jarvis 2, Coleman 1).
