March 3, 2000
BERKELEY, Calif. -- California Golden Bear first baseman Clint Hoover hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning to break a 6-6 tie and give the Bears the 7-6 victory over the Washington State Cougars to open Pac-10 play for both schools Friday afternoon at Evans Diamond.
With the loss, the Cougars fell to 5-10 for the season and 0-1 in Pac-10 play. The 7-6 loss also dropped WSU's mark to 0-4 in one-run games. Cal improved its record to 7-10 after winning its second in a row and are 1-0 in conference action.
The home run by Hoover ended a streak of four scoreless and hitless innings from WSU reliever Lanakila Niles. Niles, a sophomore from Pearl City, Hawai'i, entered in relief of WSU starter Todd Meldahl (1-3) and had a spectacular outing allowing only two baserunners before the homer from Hoover. Niles is now 0-1 in 2000 with a team leading 1.46 ERA.
Cal starter Trevor Hutchinson had a career day on the mound striking out seven in his six innings of work, but it was the starting right fielder, Rob Meyer, who picked up the win out of the bullpen pitching a perfect eleventh inning. Meyer is now 2-0 on the season.
The Golden Bears jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a solo home run off the bat preseason Player of the Year Xavier Nady. The Cougs battled back in the top of the second with a single tally and took a brief 2-1 lead in the third. Senior catcher Ryan Smith plated WSU's first run with a bases loaded infield single.
After Cal tied the game at three in the third, Meldahl held the Bears scoreless in the fourth and fifth frames. Designated hitter David Sark provided the big blow to the Cougs in the sixth with a two-out, three-run home run barely over the left field fence to give Cal the 5-2 advantage.
WSU, who was 0-9 coming into Friday's game when trailing after six innings, jumped on the comeback trail in the seventh. With two outs, senior shortstop Shawn Stevenson pushed home preseason All-American Jason Grove to bring the Cougs to within two. After Cal added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, the Cougs kept the comeback alive with two runs in the eighth to pull back to one run.
Senior designated hitter Steve Curran led the eighth off with an opposite field home run for his third homer of the year. After a Zach Bode pinch-hit single and a Mike Knight bunt single, Stefan Bailie pushed home run on a groundout to cut the deficit to one run.
Down 6-5 in the top of the ninth, senior Ray Hattenburg led the inning off with a walk. After a Stevenson groundout to move Hattenburg to second, pinch-hitter Wes Falkenborg provided the heroics with a game-tying double down the right field line. Falkenborg is now 4-for-6 in pinch-hitting opportunities in 2000.
In extra innings Niles was in cruise control, allowing only two baserunners until the 11th. Cal had its chances in the 10th with a runner in scoring position, but Niles coaxed 1999 first-team All-Pac-10 catcher Mike Tonis to fly out harmlessly to right field.
With one out in the bottom of the 11th, Hoover ended the game with his fourth home run of the year to give Cal the 7-6 victory.
Offensively the Cougars were led by Grove who was 3-for-5 in his first game of 2000. The junior All-American from Walla Walla, Wash., sat out the first month of the season with a broken bone in hand. Senior Jordan Nilsen was the only other Cougar to record a multiple-hit game in the balanced 12-hit attack. Bailie went 0-for-5 to snap his 14-game hitting streak.
The Cougars and Golden Bears will continue their three-game Pac-10 series Saturday with a 1 p.m. game at Evans Diamond. Right-handed sophomore Tyson Thompson (1-2, 6.48) is expected to start for WSU against Cal's Brad Steele (2-3, 4.28).
WSU 011 000 121 00 - 6 12 1 CAL 101 003 100 01 - 7 9 1 Todd Meldahl, Lanakila Niles (7), and Ryan Smith, Jon Baeder (8). Trevor Hutchinson, Jon Cuccias (7), David Cash (7), Rob Meyer (11), and Mike Tonis. W - ,L - Niles (0-1), S - None, HR - Nady (4), Sark (1),
Hoover(4), Curran (3). T - 3:18, A - 235. WSU Hits - Hattenburg, Smith, Nilsen 2, Grove 3, Stevenson, Curran, Bode, Knight, Falkenborg. CAL Hits - Nady 2, Medrano 3, Meyer, Callen, Sark, Hoover. E - Nady, Stevenson (4). 2B - Falkenborg (2), 3B - None.
Copy by Jeff R. Evans
WSU Sports Information