Feb. 6, 2000

Box Score

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Jordan Nilsen, Bookie Gates and Mike Knight each recorded three hits as the Washington State Cougar baseball team exploded for 14 runs to crush the 19th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies 14-4 to conclude tournament play at the third annual Spalding Baseball Fiesta.

The Cougars ended tournament play in New Mexico with a 2-1 record. With the lopsided win over the nationally ranked Aggies in front of 377 fans at Albuquerque Sports Stadium, the Cougars are now 2-2 in 2000. A solid combined pitching effort and a balanced 15-hit attack gave the Cougars their second consecutive win against the 1999 College World Series participant Aggies. WSU downed A&M 5-3 to open tournament play Friday.

WSU reliever Matt O'Brien (1-0) had a spectacular outing out of the bullpen to earn the victory. The left-hander, who led the Cougs with six wins in 1999, allowed five hits and two runs in 3.2 innings of work in his second outing of 2000. Newcomer Donny Davis finished off the Aggies with a scoreless outing of an inning and a third to seal the Cougars 14-4 win.

Freshman Nick Kenyon made his first collegiate start for the Cougs and kept the nationally ranked Aggies at bay during his four-inning outing. The South Kitsap High grad scattered four hits and allowed two runs while picking up the no-decision. The hard-throwing right-hander did endure control problems, walking six and throwing two wild pitches.

A&M (1-2) starter Khalid Ballouli was saddled with the loss for the Aggies, allowing seven hits and five runs in five innings of work. The sophomore right-hander struck out three and walked only one in his first start of 2000. A host of Aggie relief pitchers allowed nine WSU runs to cross the plate in the final four innings. Most notably, the Cougs roughed up preseason All-American Chris Russ for six runs in one-plus inning of work.

Kenyon was shaky in the first inning, walking two and throwing two wild pitches leading to an A&M score. The Cougars rebounded in the bottom of the inning with consecutive singles from Nilsen, Shawn Stevenson and Stefan Bailie. Bailie's single to right field pushed two runs across the plate to give WSU the 2-1 lead.

The Aggies pulled even in the third off a pair of singles and a walk. A&M threatened to add more, but Kenyon worked out of a bases loaded jam to end the Aggie rally. Kenyon worked out of another jam in the fourth, stranding two A&M runners in scoring position.

WSU designated hitter Steve Curran broke the 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run. The homer, which sailed 400-plus feet over the left-center field fence, was the Cougars first long ball of the season ending a dry stretch of 120 homerless at-bats. WSU extended its lead to 5-2 with an unearned run in the sixth, but could not capitalize with the bases loaded and one out as consecutive pickoff plays ended the rally.

The Cougars pulled away in the seventh, exploding for eight runs off six hits to extend their lead to 13-2. Knight continued his hot hitting with his seventh and eighth hits of the tournament to fuel the WSU rally. Junior Justin Williams pushed Knight home with a triple down the right field line and later scored on a double by Nilsen. Stevenson added a run-scoring single and later scored on a wild pitch. Senior catcher Zach Bode added a three-run home run to right field to cap the Cougar scoring.

The Aggies added two runs in the eighth off back-to-back doubles by Carlos Sepulveda and Jason Gremminger. Second baseman Sean Heaney and first baseman Travis Wong each had two hits Sunday to lead the Aggies at the plate.

For the Cougars, a host of players had banner days at the plate. Knight capped a great weekend of baseball that earned him the Spalding Baseball Fiesta Most Outstanding Player from the Pac-10 Conference. The junior transfer from Laney (CA) College, was 3-for-4 Sunday and finished the tournament 8-for-12 (.667) with two doubles, a triple and three runs scored. Nilsen was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and hit .429 (6x14) for the tournament. Gates matched Knight's .667 (6x9) tournament average after going 3-for-3 Sunday and reached base all five times he came to the plate.

WSU returns to action next weekend for the 14th Annual Larry Barnes Baseball Series against Gonzaga University. The three-game series will be played in at Posse Stadium in Pasco, Wash., the home of the Western League (Independent) Tri-City Posse.

TEXAS A&M  101 000 020 -  4  11  2
WSU        200 201 81x - 14  15  1
Khalid Ballouli, Chris Russ (6), Matt Berry (7), Matt Knight (7), Dwayne Pollik (8), and Jason Gremminger.
Nick Kenyon, Matt O'Brien (5), Donny Davis (8), and Ryan Smith, Jon Baeder (3), Zach Bode (7).
W - O'Brien (1-0), L - Ballouli (0-1), S - None, HR - Curran (1), Bode (1).
T - 3:15,  A - .
A&M Hits - Heaney 2, Stephenson, Freeman, Holt, Wong 2, Sepulveda, Wardinsky, Gremminger, Porter.
WSU Hits - Nilsen 2, Stevenson 2, Bailie, Gates 3, Curran, Knight 3, Williams, Bode.
E - Ballouli, Sepulveda, Gates (2).
2B - Nilsen 2 (3), Knight (2), Gremminger, Sepulveda, 3B - Williams (1).