May 19, 2000

Box Score

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Redshirt freshman Wes Falkenborg went 2-for-2 and drove in the winning run with a sharp single in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Cougars a wild 10-9 victory over the Oregon State Beavers in a Pac-10 Conference game Friday afternoon at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman.

The Cougars pounded out a season-high 18 hits, which offset another season high of seven errors to earn their third win in the last five games. Ironically all three of those wins have come in their last at-bat. WSU improved to 19-35 on the season and surpassed its Pac-10 win total from a year ago with a 5-17 record. The Beavers all but saw its dreams of a shot at the NCAA Tournament and the Road to Omaha disappear as they fell to 27-26 on the year, 8-14 in league play. OSU needed a series sweep to say alive for post-season.

The wildness that would occur frequently throughout the extra-inning game started in the second when OSU took a 3-1 lead with the benefit of only one hit and four WSU errors. After errors by shortstop Shawn Stevenson and pitcher Tyson Thompson, two catcher interference calls helped load the bases. With two outs, leadoff hitter Drew Hedges plated two runs with a sharp single through the right side to pull the Beavers ahead.

WSU tied the game in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run from Stefan Bailie. The redshirt freshman hit a line drive just over the left field fence for his 10th longball of the year, now only two off the WSU freshman record of 12 set by Jason Grove in 1998.

The seesaw battle continued as the Cougs and Beavers would exchange leads seven more times before the game was decided. With OSU holding a slim 7-6 lead, WSU tied the game with a single tally in the bottom of the eighth. Stevenson plated right fielder Justin Williams with the equalizer on a sacrifice fly.

OSU battled back for a single run in the top of the ninth, but ace reliever Matt O'Brien quickly ended a bases loaded threat. The Cougs made their own dramatic comeback in the bottom half of the inning when pinch-hitter Falkenborg drove a ball to right field to score the tying run and push the game into extra innings. Falkenborg is now hitting .600 (9x15) as a pinch-hitter in 2000.

After a scoreless 10th inning, the Beavers drew first blood in the extra frames when right fielder Josh Carter hit a solo home run to center field in the 11th inning to give OSU the 9-8 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, WSU entered into familiar territory, having won two of their last four games in their last at-bat. With one out, hot hitting David Perreira hit a double down the right field line. Senior catcher Ryan Smith followed with a single to center field to score the tying run. After a Williams single to put runners on first and second, Falkenborg was made the hero with a single over the center fielder's head to score Smith and give the Cougs the 10-9 come-from-behind win. WSU is now 3-1 in extra-inning games this year.

O'Brien was credited with the win by allowing only three hits in three innings of relief work. The senior lefty, who is scheduled to start Sunday's game, improved his overall record to 9-5 and is now 7-1 out of the bullpen this year. Starter Tyson Thompson pitched his third consecutive solid game, but took the hard-luck no-decision. The sophomore right-hander allowed only three earned runs in eight-plus innings. OSU reliever Craig Hays (1-3) absorbed the loss by allowing two runs and four hits in two innings of work.

Offensively, the Cougs were led by a host of their hottest hitters. Sophomore center fielder Evan Hecker went 3-for-5 and now has 10 hits in his last 18 at-bats (.556) and has recorded four consecutive multi-hit games. Perreira was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI and extended his career-long hitting streak to six games (9x24, .375). Bailie finished with three hits and three RBI, and junior Jason Grove was 1-for-3 to extend his current hitting streak to 14 games.

The Cougars and Beavers will continue their three-game, Pac-10 series Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will feature a pair of lefties as senior Todd Meldahl will make his 51st and last start of his Cougar career against Scott Nicholson. The game will be televised on a tape-delay basis at 4 p.m. Saturday on Fox Sports Net Northwest.

OSU  030  103  001  01 -  9  7  0
WSU  102  021  011  02 - 10 18  7
Thad Johnson, Mark McLemore (7), Nick Renault (8), Craig Hays (10),
Stephen Copeland (11), and Bryan Ingram
Tyson Thompson, Matt O'Brien (9), and Jon Baeder, Ryan Smith (10).
W - O'Brien (9-5),L - Hays (1-3), S - None, HR - Carter (5), Bailie (10).
T - 3:18,  A - 222.
OSU Hits - Hedges 2, Gerber, Jarvis, Carter 2, Hudson.
WSU Hits - Hecker 3, Stevenson, Hattenburg 2, Bailie 3, Grove, Perreira 2,
Gates, Smith, Williams, Baeder, Falkenborg 2.
E - Stevenson (14), Gates 2 (21), Baeder 2 (6), Thompson 2 (5).
2B - Hecker 2 (8), Perreira (5), 3B - None.

Copy by Jeff R. Evans
WSU Sports Information