May 13, 2000

Box Score

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Cal State-Northridge starting pitcher Bobby Graves allowed only two hits and pitched his first complete game of the year to lead the Matadors to a 14-2 non-conference victory over the Washington State Cougar baseball team on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman.

The win ended a four-game skid for the Matadors this season vs. the Cougars. CSUN is now 22-32 on the season and 1-4 against Washington State. WSU fell to 17-34 with the loss and have now dropped nine of its last 10 games and are 2-14 at home this season.

Graves, who is a junior transfer from the University of Oklahoma, scattered eight hits and walked four in his 138-pitch effort. The left-hander was making only his fourth start of the year because scheduled starter Andy Davidson was suspended before the game by CSUN head coach Mike Batesole for missing curfew Friday evening. Graves improved his season record to 2-1 with the victory and now has a season ERA of 1.83.

Todd Meldahl absorbed the loss for the Cougs while making his 50th career start at WSU. The senior left-hander was either hit or miss Saturday, striking out six in four innings and walking four. Meldahl ended up giving up five runs and six hits in his appearance to fall to 2-8 on the year.

The Matadors scored all the runs they would need with a four-run outburst in the top of the third. After designated hitter Bill Murphy led the inning off with a hit-by-pitch, leadoff hitter Jason Watkins cleared the fences with a two-run home run to left field. A run-scoring double by Tim Arroyo pushed the Matadors' lead to 3-0 and third baseman Bill Koba capped the rally with a sharp single to plate Arroyo.

After another Matador score in the top of the fifth, the Cougs scored their only runs of the afternoon to pull within three of CSUN. Preseason All-American Jason Grove extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a leadoff double and came around to score on a double by David Perreira. Jordan Nilsen added WSU's second run with a sharp groundout to shortstop.

The three-run deficit was the closest the Cougs would get as the Matadors pulled away in the late innings with nine runs in the last three frames. Watkins led the Matador hit parade with a 3-for-4 game, scoring three runs and knocking home three more. Second baseman Jason Gorman managed only one hit, but plated three runs on the afternoon.

The Cougars were led by Grove who was 2-for-4 with a single and a double. Perreira continues to hit well at the plate and added his second two-hit game in as many days. Left fielder Evan Hecker rounded out the multiple-hit games for WSU with a 2-for-5 afternoon.

The Cougars and Matadors will conclude three-game weekend series, and six-game season series, tomorrow at noon at Bailey-Brayton Field. Senior left-hander Matt O'Brien will try to go for his second win of the series as he gets the start on the mound Sunday.

CSUN  004  010  324 -  14  13  3
WSU   000  002  000 -   2   8  4
Bobby Graves and Jason Allec.
Todd Meldahl, Lanakila Niles (5), Les McTavish (8), Tony Auckland (9), Sean Donlin (9), and Ryan Smith.
W - Graves (2-1),L - Meldahl (2-8), S - None, HR - Watkins (5), Arroyo (8).
T - 3:10,  A - 226.
CSUN Hits - Watkins 3, Bumstead, Arroyo 2, Gorman, Koba, Cotley 2, Allec 2, Murphy.
WSU Hits - Hecker 2, Stevenson, Grove 2, Perreira 2, Curran.
E - Stotts (17), Koba 2 (9), Hattenburg 2 (15), Curran (4), Smith (6).
2B - Watkins (3), Arroyo (13), Stevenson (10), Grove (9), Perreira (3), 3B - None.