Gerber extends baseball hitting streak
May 1, 1999
STANFORD, Calif. - Oregon States Joe Gerber extended his hitting streak to 18 games but the Beavers lost to No. 6 Stanford 7-0 in Pacific-10 baseball Friday night at Sunken Diamond. Gerber finished April with a hit in every game OSU (15-31 overall, 3-13 Pacific-10) played during the month after bouncing a single up the middle in the sixth inning.
Jason Young threw a five-hitter for Stanford (31-12, 15-4), walking one and striking out 13. The sophomore righthander threw his sixth complete game of the year to keep the Cardinal in first place in the conference race.
Gerber also got a surprise start on the mound for Oregon State. More than two months after his only previous appearance this season, Gerber gave the Beavers seven innings and limited Stanford to five runs (four earned) on seven hits, walking five and striking out one.
After walking and striking out in his first two plate appearances, Gerber extended his hitting streak when he went after the first pitch from Young in the sixth inning and hit a high chopper over second base that Cardinal shortstop Eric Bruntlett couldnt flag down. During his streak, Gerber is batting .500 (37-for-74) with eight homers and 35 runs batted in; during April, he hit .507 (35-for-69).
Gerber struggled through his first inning on the mound, allowing three walks and one hit but giving up just a single run. Stanford made it 3-0 on Joe Borchards two-run double in the third, added an unearned run in the fifth inning and scored another on Jeff Rizzos sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Craig Hays pitched the eighth for the Beavers, giving up a two-run homer to Hochgesang.
OSUs best scoring chance came in the top of the second after Josh Carter and Drew Hedges singled to put runners at first and third with none out. Troy Schader then grounded into a double play, though, and Carter didnt score; Rod Gott then grounded out to end the inning.
Eric Stark had his hitting streak end at a career-best 10 games, while Carter went 2-for-4 to push his hitting streak to seven games.
OSU and Stanford continue their series at 1 p.m. Saturday and conclude it at 1 p.m. Sunday.
STANFORD 7, OREGON STATE 0
Oregon State 000 000 000 - 0 5 1 Stanford 102 010 12x - 7 9 0Gerber, Hays (8) and Ingram, Sakamoto (8). Young and Alvarado. WP-Young (7-3). LP-Gerber (0-2). 2B-Borchard (SU). HR-Hochgesang (SU).
HITS: Oregon State 5 (Gerber 1x3, Dryden 1x4, Carter 2x4, Hedges 1x3), Stanford 9 (Jacobson 3x3, Rizzo 1x1, Borchard 2x3, Hochgesang 1x3, Alvarado 1x4, Bruntlett 1x3). RUNS BATTED IN: Oregon State 0, Stanford 7 (Rizzo 1, Gall 1, Borchard 2, Hochgesang 3).
