OSU Is Back On The Road To Omaha
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State’s Jonah Nickerson and two relievers combined to pitch a five-hitter as the No. 8-ranked Beavers blanked Stanford 15-0 Sunday night to win the NCAA Corvallis Super Regional baseball series. Tyler Graham was 5-for-6 with three runs batted in and Mitch Canham had five RBIs for OSU (44-14), which earned its second straight trip to the College World Series by sweeping the best-of-three series from the Cardinal (33-27).
The Beavers will open their third-ever CWS appearance on Saturday against the winner of the series between Miami, Fla., and Mississippi. Oregon State was the only school from the 2005 CWS field to reach the Super Regionals in 2006; OSU also reached the CWS in 1952.
On Sunday, OSU scored four times in the first inning, then Scott Santschi’s two-run homer ignited a six-run fourth inning as the Beavers collected a season-high 19 hits against seven Stanford pitchers. Oregon State first baseman Bill Rowe was 3-for-3 with a double, three runs batted in and four runs scored.
"I don’t know what to say," OSU head coach Pat Casey said. "We just came out on fire and played very well. These guys were outstanding from start to finish, Jonah was outstanding. These guys sitting around me (at the interview podium) just wouldn’t get beat.
"It’s a great feeling but these guys have worked very, very hard and they are the reason we are sitting here saying we are going to Omaha."
In front of a crowd of 3,194, Nickerson improved his record to 11-4 on the season by allowing five hits and three walks in 7 2/3 innings, striking out seven. With OSU designated as the visiting team for the second game of the series, the Beavers gave him a four-run lead to work with before he ever went to the mound.
"It makes it a lot easier to pitch," Nickerson said. "It’s just really easy to get ahead of hitters and go right after them. I felt good just warming up. I could tell it was going to be a good day but it definitely helped to score some runs early in the game."
Said Stanford shortstop Chris Minaker of the early deficit: "It creates some anxiety. You think, ‘Wow, just like that you’re down.’ And that’s a credit to Oregon State; they came out ready to play."
Nickerson held Stanford hitless over the first three innings before surrendering a pair of hits in the bottom of the fourth and having to work out of a bases-loaded jam. He also stranded a pair of Cardinal baserunners in the seventh, but by then the Beavers led 12-0.
"He pitched a great ballgame," Stanford shortstop Chris Minaker said of Nickerson, who has allowed as many as four runs in an appearance just four times in his OSU career. "He always throws well. You look at his stat line and the guy always gives quality outings."
OSU got after Cardinal starter Nolan Gallagher right away, pounding six hits in the top of the first inning to take a fast 4-0 lead. Bill Rowe, Mitch Canham and Shea McFeely all contributed RBI singles in the inning.
"They scored four in the first inning and were hitting the ball all over the ballpark," Stanford head coach Mark Marquess said. "We just could not contain them. They really swung the bats well and we just couldn’t stop them.
"It always gets down to pitching and that’s why they are as good as they are for the last two years – their pitching is outstanding and they have good depth. That’s always the key, any time in baseball but always in the postseason. Oregon State won’t take a back seat to anyone."
For OSU, it marked the third time in five games between the teams this season that the Beavers had shut out Stanford. Oregon State outscored the Cardinal 35-4 in the five meetings in 2006.
"They obviously have had a great season and are most deserving of winning the Pac-10 fairly easily and sweeping through the regional," Marquess said of the Beavers. "Coach Casey has done a great job and they are a great team. They just dominated us. Again, congratulations to them, they have a great team and I wish them the very best in Omaha and I’m sure they will do well."
Sunday was also the second-ever shutout for the Beavers in NCAA postseason play; the other had been a 1-0 win over Arkansas in the 1986 Stillwater Regional. Stanford endured its first postseason shutout since 1982 and worst NCAA playoff loss in program history.
Graham’s five hits tied OSU’s single-game school record, which is shared by many players. And, in every game in which the Beavers have clinched a berth in the CWS, an Oregon State player has had a five-hit game: Jay Dean against Fresno State in 1952, Andy Jenkins against Southern California in 2005 and Graham in 2006.
"It was good to get off to a good start today," said Graham, whose game is rounding into form after he missed much of the season with leg problems. "With everyone hitting, it made it a lot easier for everyone to get up to the plate and have a lot of confidence. It was just a good night for me and for everyone to get back to the place we want to be."
Added OSU outfielder Cole Gillespie: "The goal since we came in this September was to get back to Omaha. We are going back there, but we aren’t satisfied - we want to win the whole darn thing."
In addition to his three hits, Rowe was hit by pitch three times to tie OSU’s single-game record shared by several players.
For the second straight night, the crowd was a post-1999 renovation record for Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. The Beavers finished the season 27-4 in their home ballpark, eclipsing the record for home wins they had set in 2005; OSU went 53-8 at home over the past two seasons.
NO. 8 OREGON STATE 15, STANFORD 0
Oregon State 400 602 021 – 15 19 0
Stanford 000 000 000 - 0 5 1
Nickerson, Kunz (8), Turpen (9) and Canham, Ammon (9). Gallagher, Davis (4), Yount (4), Stringer (7), Ratliff (8), Fearnow (8), Holler (9) and Hester, Juhl (8). W-Nickerson (11-4). L-Gallagher (5-5). 2B-Rowe (OSU), Graham (OSU), Canham (OSU), Minaker (OSU). HR-Santschi (OSU).
HITS: Oregon State 19 (Barney 1x6, Kunda 2x5, Gillespie 2x6, Rowe 3x3, Graham 5x6, Canham 2x3, McFeely 2x5, Santschi 2x4), Stanford 5 (Seawell 1x3, Minaker 2x4, Taylor 1x3, August 1x1). RUNS BATTED IN: Oregon State 15 (Rowe 3, Graham 3, Canham 5, McFeely 2, Santschi 2), Stanford 0.
Oregon State 15 (44-14) Stanford 0 (33-27)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Barney, Darwin ss.......... 6 1 1 0 Seawell, Ryan cf........... 3 0 1 0
Kunda, Chris 2b............ 5 2 2 0 Escue, Grant dh............ 2 0 0 0
Gillespie, Cole lf......... 6 3 2 0 Domaracki, Brendan ph..... 2 0 0 0
Rowe, Bill 1b.............. 3 4 3 3 Minaker, Chris ss.......... 4 0 2 0
Graham, Tyler cf........... 6 3 5 3 Taylor, Michael rf......... 3 0 1 0
Wallace, John dh........... 2 0 0 0 Milleville, Brent ph...... 1 0 0 0
Lissman, Mike ph.......... 2 0 0 0 Lewis, Chris 2b............ 3 0 0 0
Canham, Mitch c............ 3 0 2 5 Castro, Jason 1b........... 2 0 0 0
Ammon, Erik c............. 0 0 0 0 Jelmini, J.J. ph.......... 1 0 0 0
McFeely, Shea 3b........... 5 1 2 2 Hester, John c............. 3 0 0 0
Santschi, Scott rf......... 4 1 2 2 Juhl, Brian c............. 1 0 0 0
Wagner, Geoff ph.......... 1 0 0 0 Rapoport, Jim lf........... 2 0 0 0
Kahalehoe, Koa rf......... 0 0 0 0 August, Joey ph........... 1 0 1 0
Nickerson, Jonah p......... 0 0 0 0 Phelps, Cord 3b............ 3 0 0 0
Kunz, Eddie p............. 0 0 0 0 Gallagher, Nolan p......... 0 0 0 0
Turpen, Daniel p.......... 0 0 0 0 Davis, Erik p............. 0 0 0 0
Yount, Austin p........... 0 0 0 0
Stringer, David p......... 0 0 0 0
Ratliff, Sean p........... 0 0 0 0
Fearnow, Max p............ 0 0 0 0
Holler, Blake p........... 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 43 15 19 15 Totals..................... 31 0 5 0
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Oregon State........ 400 602 021 - 15 19 0
Stanford............ 000 000 000 - 0 5 1
-------------------------------------------
E - Gallagher. DP - Stanford 1. LOB - Oregon St. 9; Stanford 7. 2B - Rowe; Graham;
Canham; Minaker. HR - Santschi. HBP - Rowe 3; Wallace; Canham. SH - Wallace. SF -
Canham. SB - Canham.
Oregon State IP H R ER BB SO
------------------------------------------------
Nickerson, Jonah W,11-4... 7.2 5 0 0 3 7
Kunz, Eddie ............... 0.1 0 0 0 0 1
Turpen, Daniel ............ 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
Stanford IP H R ER BB SO
------------------------------------------------
Gallagher, Nolan L,5-5.... 3.0 8 6 3 0 3
Davis, Erik ............... 0.0 4 4 4 1 0
Yount, Austin ............. 3.0 2 2 2 0 1
Stringer, David ........... 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
Ratliff, Sean ............. 0.1 3 2 2 0 0
Fearnow, Max .............. 0.2 0 0 0 0 0
Holler, Blake ............. 1.0 2 1 1 0 1
WP - Davis; Ratliff. HBP - by Gallagher (Canham); by Gallagher (Rowe); by Yount
(Wallace); by Yount (Rowe); by Holler (Rowe). PB - Juhl.
Umpires - HP: Randy Harvey 1B: Mark Ditsworth 2B: Don Novak 3B: Paul Guille
Start: 7:07 pm Time: 2:58 Attendance: 3194
