May 20, 2000

Box Score

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Oregon State starting pitcher Scott Nicholson out-dueled WSU starter Todd Meldahl as both threw complete games, but the Beavers inched out a narrow 4-3 victory over the Cougars in front of 380 fans on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman.

The win improved the Beavers record to 28-26 and remain a half game ahead of Arizona for the sixth spot in the Pac-10 with a 9-14 mark. WSU fell to 19-36 on the year and 5-18 in league play.

The outing was bitter-sweet for Meldahl, who made his 51st and last career start as a Cougar. On his last day in a Cougar uniform Meldahl threw his career longest outing of nine innings and tossed his fourth career complete game. The lefty allowed only six hits, three earned runs and struck out five while taking the hard-luck loss to fall to 2-9 on the year. The complete game was his second of 2000, with both games being one-run losses.

The start Saturday by the senior from Butte, Mont., wrapped up a solid career for the left-hander who started the second most games ever in 105 years of Cougar baseball. Among the many records he has left his name on, Meldahl finished his career ranked fourth in strikeouts (244), fifth in appearances (64), and fifth in innings pitched (310.2).

Nicholson was stellar in his fifth complete-game outing of the year. The left-handed transfer from Lower Columbia CC struck out seven and allowed only five hits to improve to 8-7 on the year.

The Beavers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the first. Designated hitter Curtis Davis drove a ball off the center field fence for a double to score third baseman Brian Barden and give the Beavers the lead.

With OSU holding a 3-0 lead after its half of the second, WSU chipped away at the lead with a single tally in the second. Redshirt freshman Stefan Bailie continued his hot hitting with his second home run in as many games to pull the Cougs within two. The home run was Bailie's team-leading 11th of the year and is now only one off the freshman school record of 12 set by current teammate Jason Grove in 1998.

The Cougars pulled even with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the third. Senior shortstop Shawn Stevenson plated a run with a single to right field and Grove evened the score with a sacrifice fly deep to left field.

After the two-run third, Nicholson fell into a groove retiring 12 of the next 13 batters he faced, and allowed only one hit after the third. Meldahl also dominated the middle innings, but was touched for the eventual game-winning run in the sixth when reserve catcher Chris Biles slapped a single to right field to score pinch-runner Drew Hedges.

The Cougars mounted a small comeback by putting the tying run in scoring position in the eighth, but couldn't push him home. Nicholson put the Cougars down in order in the ninth to cap his 130 pitch, complete-game performance.

The Cougars were led offensively by center fielder Evan Hecker who continues to be on fire at the plate. The sophomore from Seattle, Wash., raised his average to .277 with his fifth consecutive multi-hit game. Hecker went 2-for-3 with a run scored and now has 12 hits in his last 21 at-bats (.571). Stevenson finished with his 15th multi-hit game of the year by going 2-for-3.

The Cougars will conclude the 2000 season and 105 years of Cougar baseball with the rubber game of the three-game series with Oregon State. Senior left-hander Matt O'Brien (9-5) will vie for his 10th win of the year against right-hander James Atwood (3-5, 6.50). Sunday will also be Senior Day at Bailey-Brayton Field, with a special graduation ceremony at the field for the 11 Cougar seniors.

OSU   120  001  000 -  4  6  2
WSU   012  000  000 -  3  5  3
Scott Nicholson and Chris Biles.
Todd Meldahl and Ryan Smith.
W - Nicholson (8-7),L - Meldahl (2-9), S - None, HR - Bailie (11).
T - 2:25,  A - 380.
OSU Hits - Stark, Davis, Carter, Gerber, Gott, Biles.
WSU Hits - Hecker 2, Stevenson 2, Bailie.
E - Stevenson 2 (16), Gates 2 (21), Baeder 2 (6), Thompson 2 (5).
2B - Hecker 2 (8), Perreira (5), 3B - None.