OSU loses baseball stadium opener
March 12, 1999
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State opened its new Goss Stadium at Coleman Field on Friday afternoon, but it was Southern Californias Barry Zito who struck out 16 Beavers in a 5-2 USC win. The defending national baseball champions rallied to take the Pacific-10 opener for both teams, erasing a 1-0 deficit with three runs in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth.
OSU (9-11 overall, 0-1 Pacific-10) and USC (9-13, 1-0) continue their three-game series at 1 p.m. Saturday, then wrap it up at 1 p.m. Sunday. Saturday is OSU Team Photo Day, with a free photo to the first 700 fans, and Sunday is OSU Baseball Button Day with a free button for the first 300 fans.
Fridays game was the first look for OSU fans at Goss Stadium, a $2.3-million project that will house approximately 1,500 fans in the main grandstand. It was built around Coleman Field, which has been the home of the Beavers since the school began a varsity baseball team in 1907.
Coleman Field itself underwent outfield improvements during the off-season, making Fridays game possible on a damp afternoon that might have meant a rainout a year ago.
"Im not sure thats the game we wanted to get under our belts, but its always nice to play at home," OSU head coach Pat Casey said of the Beavers first game in their new surroundings. "Even USCs coaches commented on the quality of the facility, and its not even finished yet."
A crowd of 582 saw the Beavers bats go mostly silent after scoring a first-inning run, with Zito being one reason why. USC has only kept single-game records since 1987, and the lefthanders 16 strikeouts now top the list. He allowed four hits and walked five in 7.0 innings, and caught seven OSU hitters looking at called third strikes.
"He pitched well," Casey said of Zito. "But when hitters go to the plate like ours did, it gives you confidence as a pitcher. When you can throw any pitch, any time, and we could stand there and watch it, you feel good as a pitcher. We made him feel confident."
Oregon State did reach Zito for a run in the top of the first, as Corrie Willkie led off with a double and scored on Curtis Davis one-out single through the right side of the infield. But the Beavers left the baes loaded in the fourth inning and couldnt score a runner from third with one out in the sixth.
Southern California finally got to Beaver starter Mark Newell in the top of the seventh. Beau Craig led off with a double and advanced to third on Dominic Correas groundout to second. He scored the tying run when Justin Gemoll bunted what was to have been a suicide squeeze but beat it out for a single.
Gemoll was wild-pitched to second, then scored when Seth Davidson pulled a home run down the right-field line to make it 3-1.
USC added a pair of runs on two hits in the eighth, getting a run-scoring single from Brad Ticehurst and a run-scoring double by Correa that chased Newell. The Beaver junior took his first loss since being beaten by Washington in the middle of the 1996 season, ending a string of 10 straight wins (eight in 1997, two in 1999).
Oregon State did threaten against the Trojan bullpen, as Bryan Ingram hit his first career homer in the bottom of the eighth, a one-out shot to left against reliever Steve Immel. In the ninth, Drew Hedges extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a one-out single; Justin Lehr then came on for USC and got Troy Schader to ground out to third with Hedges advancing to second.
Lehr hit Joe Gerber with a pitch, though, bringing the tying run to the plate in pinch-hitter K.C. Rumrey. Rumrey fouled off a pair of two-ball, two-strike pitches before watching a called third strike to end the game.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 5, OREGON STATE 2
Southern California 000 000 320 - 5 10 2 Oregon State 100 000 010 - 2 6 1Zito, Immel (8), Lehr (9) and Munson. Newell, Mitchell (8) and Ingram. WP-Zito (3-2). LP-Newell (2-1). SV-Lehr (2). 2B-Davidson (USC), Ticehurst (USC), Craig (USC), Correa (USC), Willkie (OSU). HR-Davidson (USC), Ingram (OSU).
HITS: Southern California 10 (Davidson 2x4, Munson 2x2, Ticehurst 2x4, Craig 1x3, Correa 1x4, Persell 1x1, Self 1x4), Oregon State 6 (Willkie 1x4, Hedges 1x3, Davis 1x4, Dryden 1x4, Ingram 2x4). RUNS BATTED IN: Southern California 5 (Davidson 2, Ticehurst 1, Correa 1, Persell 1), Oregon State 2 (Davis 1, Ingram 1).
