April 21, 2000

Box Score

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Senior starting pitcher Matt O'Brien threw a complete-game gem to improve his season record to 7-3 to lead the Washington State Cougar baseball team to its second consecutive Pac-10 victory over the University of Arizona Wildcats, 9-6, Friday evening at Sancet Field.

The win improved the Cougars season record to 16-25 and with the two consecutive Pac-10 wins, WSU sits at 4-10 in league play. The Wildcats fell to 21-25 for 2000 and are now 6-12 in conference action.

O'Brien, who only moved into the starting role four weeks ago, tossed his second consecutive complete-game for the Cougs. The Seattle native scattered 12 hits over nine innings and allowed only three earned runs. He struck out three and walked only on to improve his career record at WSU to 13-8. O'Brien, who entered Friday's game with the fourth-best ERA in the Pac-10, lowered his season mark to 3.15 with his outing.

With the Cougs fresh off a win that broke their eight-game losing streak Thursday evening, WSU wasted no time jumping on the Wildcats by batting around in the first inning. Junior right fielder Jason Grove plated two runs on a hard hit ball that was ruled an error by second baseman Trevor Mote. Second baseman Bookie Gates then contributed his second two-run double in as many games to stake WSU to the early 4-0 lead.

After posting six scoreless innings, O'Brien finally relinquished a run to the Wildcats in the sixth. A leadoff double by Troy Gingrich started the rally and a single by Ben Diggins up the middle put Arizona on the board. The Cougs ended the Wildcat rally at one run by turning their third double play of the game on the next at-bat.

WSU regained their four-run advantage in the top of the seventh with quick score, then added to it when pinch-hitter Steve Curran delivered a two-out, bases loaded single to score two more runs. Senior Shawn Stevenson scored the Cougs' first run of the inning with a sharp single to score Evan Hecker who led the inning off with a double.

After WSU scored another run in the top of the eighth, Arizona put two on the board by way of a two-run home run from Mote. Diggins added his second run-scoring single of the contest to pull the Wildcats to within five runs, 8-3.

The Wildcats made the game interesting in the ninth by scoring three runs off O'Brien. Mote added his third and fourth RBI of the game with a double down the left field line. With the tying run on deck, O'Brien sealed his seventh win of the year by coaxing Erik Torres to ground out.

No Cougar recorded more than one hit in the game, but both Curran and Gates posted multi-RBI games. Senior Ray Hattenburg saw his career-high 12-game hitting streak come to an end with an 0-for-3 game.

The Wildcats were led at the plate by Gingrich who went 3-for-4 with three runs. Mote (2x5, 4 RBI) and Durazo (3x5) also had good games for Arizona. Starter Rob Shabansky (2-4) absorbed the loss, allowing seven runs in his 6.1 innings of work.

The Cougars will vie for their first Pac-10 sweep since the league joined the South and North divisions tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. in Tucson. Reggie Rivard will go to the hill for the Cougs against a to-be-determined pitcher for Arizona.

WSU       400  000  311	-  9  8  2
ARIZONA   000  001  022	-  6 12  2
Matt O'Brien and Jon Baeder.
Rob Shabansky, Mike Crawford (7), and Ken Riley.
W - O'Brien (7-3),L - Shabansky (2-4), S - None, HR - Mote (4).
T - 2:48, A - 625.
WSU Hits - Bailie, Gates, Hecker, Stevenson, Curran, Nilsen, Grove, Knight.
ARIZONA Hits - Gingrich 3, Durazo 3, O'Donnell, Riley, Diggins 2, Mote 2.
E - Gates (13), Hattenburg (14), Mote, Crawford.
2B - Gates (6), Hecker (2), Nilsen (12), Durazo, Gingrich, Mote, 3B - None.