March 24, 2000
Box Score
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- USC freshman first baseman Alberto Concepcion hit a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the 20th ranked USC Trojans a 7-6 victory over the visiting Washington State Cougars Friday evening in Pac-10 conference action at Dedeaux Field.
The Trojan win improved their season record to 17-9 and gave them a win in their first Pac-10 game. WSU had its four-game winning streak come to an end as they fell to 12-14 on the year and 2-2 in Pac-10 play. The Cougs have still won five of their last seven games.
WSU looked good out of the gates by loading the bases against preseason All-American Mark Prior. Shawn Stevenson (Everett, Wash.) and Evan Hecker (Seattle, Wash.) recorded leadoff hits to fuel the rally. Prior nearly worked himself out of a bases loaded jam, but hit designated hitter Steve Curran (Bellevue, Wash.) with a two-strike pitch to push home the Cougs first run.
The Trojans came out hot in their first at-bat as well, scoring four runs on four hits. After catcher Beau Craig tied the game with a sharp single, USC tacked on three, two-out runs to extend their lead to 4-1. Designated hitter Josh Persell provided the big blow with a two-run single to right field off WSU starter Todd Meldahl.
With Prior in a groove through the early innings, the Cougars finally got to the 1999 freshman All-American in the fifth frame. Consecutive two-out singles by Stefan Bailie (Mesa, Wash.) and Ray Hattenburg (Spokane, Wash.) set the table for WSU's preseason All-American Jason Grove (Walla Walla, Wash.). Grove, who has been sidelined with a hand injury for most of the season, clubbed a two-run double to score Bailie and Hattenburg to pull WSU back to within one run, 4-3.
With solid pitching from Meldahl to keep the Trojans scoreless after the first frame, WSU finally erased the four-run deficit and took a one-run lead by scoring two runs in the top of the seventh. After a single by Hecker, Hattenburg doubled and Grove was intentionally walked for the second time to load the bases. Facing the same situation as he did in the first inning, Curran came up with a clutch base hit through the left side to tie the game at 4-4. The Cougs took the 5-4 lead on the very next at-bat as Hattenburg scored from third base on a wild pitch by Prior.
The Trojans battled back in the bottom of the seventh to retake the lead with two runs. Persell recorded his third hit of the game to tie plate the tying run and Garibaldi followed with a sacrifice fly to score the go-ahead run off WSU reliever Lanakila Niles (Pearl City, Hawai'i). The Cougs continued the see-saw battle in the top of the eighth by knotting the game at six. Senior Jordan Nilsen led the inning off with his seventh double of the year and later came around to score the tying run on a RBI-groundout by Stevenson.
The Men of Troy retook the lead for good with one swing of the bat from Alberto Concepcion, as the freshman first baseman greeted Cougar ace reliever Matt O'Brien (Seattle, Wash.) with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the eighth. O'Brien (5-1) was saddled with his first loss of the year and saw his scoreless innings streak of 8.1 innings come to an end. Meldahl pitched a fine performance in his start by allowing only three hits and no runs after the first inning.
USC reliever Pete Montrenes improved his record to 3-0 by pitching two solid innings out of the bullpen. Prior was not in stellar form in his outing, but turned in an admirable performance by striking out six in seven innings.
Every Cougar in the lineup recorded at least one hit, while Hecker and Hattenburg each went 2-for-5. Curran and Grove each had two RBIs for the Cougars.
The three-game series between the Pac-10 rivals will resume Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. game at Dedeaux Field. Sophomore right-hander Tyson Thompson (1-3, 4.08) will match up against USC junior Rik Currier (5-2, 4.00).
WSU 100 020 210 - 6 12 1
USC 400 000 21x - 7 10 0
Todd Meldahl, Lanakila Niles (7), Matt O'Brien (8), and Ryan Smith.
Mark Prior, Pete Montrenes (8), and Beau Craig.
W - Montrenes (3-0),L - O'Brien (5-1), S - None, HR - Concepcion (2).
T - 2:50, A - 410.
WSU Hits - Stevenson, Hecker 2, Smith 2, Bailie, Hattenburg 2, Grove, Gates, Curran, Nilsen.
USC Hits - Self 2, Craig 2, Garibaldi, Persell 3, Barre, Concepcion.
E - Smith (4).
2B - Smith (4), Grove (1), Hattenburg (5), Nilsen (7), Persell (7), Barre (2).
c-o-u-g-s
Copy by Jeff R. Evans
WSU Sports Information
