Box Score
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State fell to Arizona 10-5 in Pacific-10
baseball Sunday afternoon at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, keeping the Beavers
from a sweep of the three-game weekend series. OSU (20-18 overall, 3-6
Pacific-10) gave up three runs in the top of the first inning and couldn't catch
Arizona (21-23, 6-9).
OSU will play host to Concordia in a non-league game Tuesday at 3 p.m.
before going to California for a Pacific-10 series Thursday through Saturday.
Saturday's loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Beavers.
"The key was Arizona getting on the board early," OSU head coach Pat
Casey said. "They're a very talented club ... I think we had them down (after
OSU won Friday and Saturday), and we had a chance to come out and set the tempo.
But they get a chop off the plate and then a walk, and we didn't play all that
well."
It was Troy Gingrich's infield single that started UA's three-run first
inning against OSU righthander James Atwood, who then walked Keoni DeRenne. A
double play left Atwood a pitch away from getting out of the first inning
unscathed, but Ernie Durazo's run-scoring single and Ryan O'Donnell's two-run
double gave Arizona a 3-0 lead.
"James had good stuff," Casey said of Atwood, who replaced Mark Newell
in the No. 3 spot in Oregon State's rotation for the Arizona series. "But he
couldn't make those mistakes and leave some balls up there that way ... James
had trouble finding his rhythm and keeping the ball down."
Atwood, who had gone six strong innings to earn a win at Portland on
Tuesday, later gave up a solo homer to Durazo in the third inning and a
three-run homer to Erik Torres in the fifth that made it 7-0. OSU, meanwhile,
was managing just one hit through six innings against Wildcat lefthander Rob
Shabansky.
"He was very good," Casey said of Shabansky. "He was throwing a breaking
ball for strikes. Momentum is big in baseball, and we didn't respond after they
scored and we didn't do some little things."
With UA leading 8-0, Oregon State finally broke through in the bottom of
the seventh inning, loading the bases on singles by Brian Barden and Josh Carter
and Rod Gott being hit by a pitch. With two out, Shabansky then walked Will
Hudson to force in OSU's first run and Arizona summoned righthander Mike Meyer
from the bullpen.
Meyer walked pinch-hitters Andy Jarvis and Chris Biles to push home two
more runs and bring Joe Gerber to the plate. Gerber singled through the right
side of the infield to drive in two runs and make it 8-5, then Barden grounded
into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
Arizona responded immediately against OSU righthander Stephen Copeland,
as Ben Diggins lined a two-out, two-run double to rightfield to extend the
Wildcats' lead to 10-5. Meyer retired OSU in order in both the eighth and ninth
innings, ending the Beavers' hopes of a sweep.
Shabansky wound up allowing four runs (all earned) on three hits and
three walks, striking out eight, to earn the win as he and Meyer combined on a
four-hitter. Torres was 3-for-5 with a homer, a double and three RBIs for
Arizona while Durazo was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs; O'Donnell was
2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs; and Mote was 2-for-5 with two doubles.
Gerber was 2-for-3 with two RBIs for Oregon State. Atwood took the
pitching loss, allowing seven runs (all earned) on seven hits and three walks
while striking out three in 4 2/3 innings.
The win was Arizona's first-ever at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. OSU
had swept the Wildcats in a three-game series on the Beavers' home diamond in
1998 and then won the first two games of this season's series 6-3 and 10-4.
ARIZONA 10, OREGON STATE 5
Arizona 301 030 120 - 10 12 1
Oregon State 000 000 500 - 5 4 0
Shabansky, Meyer (7) and Riley. Atwood, Newell (5), Hays (6), Copeland
(8), Renault (8) and Ingram, Biles (8). WP-Shabansky (2-3). LP-Atwood (3-4).
2B-DeRenne (UA), Diggins (UA), Torres (UA), O'Donnell (UA), Mote 2 (UA).
HR-Duraza (UA), Torres (UA).
HITS: Arizona 12 (Gingrich 1x5, DeRenne 1x3, Diggins 1x4, Durazo 2x4,
Torres 3x5, O'Donnell 2x4, Mote 2x5), Oregon State 4 (Gerber 2x3, Barden 1x4,
Carter 1x4). RUNS BATTED IN: Arizona 10 (Diggins 2, Durazo 2, Torres 3,
O'Donnell 3), Oregon State 5 (Jarvis 1, Biles 1, Gerber 2, Hudson 1).
