Box Score
TUCSON, Ariz.- A day after collecting only five hits, the Arizona baseball team rebounded with 19 base raps in a 13-6 victory over Oregon State at Sancet Field, Sunday afternoon. The victory earned the Wildcats a 2-1 series win and improved their record to 21-16 overall and 4-5 in the conference. Eight of the nine Wildcat starters on offense collected at least one hit and scored at least one run in the game. Sophomore Matt Abram led the way for Wildcats with a 3-for-5, two double and five RBI outing.
UA opened up the scoring in the second on a RBI ground out by Brian Anderson that scored Shelley Duncan from third. The Beavers countered in the top of the third with a pair of runs off of Wildcat starter David Brockman, but the lead was short lived as the Cats came up with a five spot in the home half to take a 6-2 lead.
A leadoff walk to Justyn St. Clair to start the inning earned Beaver starter Mark McLemore an early exit, but reliever Craig Hays would not be the answer for the Beavers. After inducing Brad Hassey to fly out to center for the first out of the inning, the southpaw gave up back-to-back singles to Erik Torres and Ernie Durazo. St Clair, who had stolen second, came around to score on Torres shot to left. Duncan followed Durazo with a grounder to short that was mishandled, allowing Torres to score from third. Abram then came up with his first of two doubles to drive in both Durazo and Duncan to give the Cats a 5-2 advantage. After Marc Kaiser grounded out to third for the second out, Anderson rewarded Abram with a trip home on a triple to right center for a 6-2 lead.
OSU came up with a lone run in the top of the fourth on a RBI triple by Eric Stark, but the Wildcats negated the run with a pair of their own in the bottom of the inning. Durazo stroked a two-out triple down the right field line to score Brad Hassey from second and scored himself on an Abram single to left.
St. Clair tacked on two more runs in the fifth and seventh innings on a RBI single up the middle and a RBI bunt single, respectively, to make it a 10-3 Arizona advantage.
The Beavers closed the gap to 10-6 on Brian Barden's three run homer off of reliever Brian Pemble in eighth, but Arizona and Abram again had the answer with three of their own in the same inning. After Durazo and Duncan led off with back-to-back singles, the pair advanced to second and third on a failed pick off. Abram followed up with his second two-RBI double of the day to plate the pair and later scored on Ken Riley's double-play ball.
Pemble (4-3) picked up his fourth win of the season, working 3.1 innings while striking out two and walking one.
The Cats will take to the road on next week as they head to Pullman, Wash., for a three-game set against Washington State.
