Baseball Falters in Ninth Again
Gonzaga Escapes with 8-7 win.
April 28, 1999
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Gonzaga leftfielder Kevin Taylor capped off a 3-for-4
game with a ninth inning single scoring the game-winning run as the
Bulldogs beat the Washington State Cougars 8-7 in a non-conference game
Tuesday afternoon at August A.R.T. Stadium.
The Cougars (18-24) have now lost three straight games in the final inning
and 19 of its last 22 games overall. Gonzaga (23-16) continues to make a
late run for the post-season winning nine of its last 11 games. The
Cougars and Bulldogs finished the season series tied with three wins apiece.
Reliever Tucker Urdahl (Cheney) picked up the win out of the bullpen
throwing an inning and two-thirds of no-hit ball. Urdahl improved his
season record to 2-4 while striking out three in his appearance.
Left-hander Matt O'Brien (Jr., Seattle) was saddled with the loss giving up
one hit and the eventual game-winning run. Starter Zach Fisher (Fr., Port
Orchard) pitched well in his first collegiate start giving up five runs and
seven hits in five innings of work.
Gonzaga jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first inning. Adam Stokey and
Jared Hertz contributed run-scoring singles to fuel the rally.
With a 5-1 deficit facing the Cougs in the sixth, WSU jumped on the
comeback trail pulling even with a four-run inning. Spokane native Ray
Hattenburg extended his career-long hitting streak to 12 games with a bases
loaded single to score two runs. Zach Bode (Jr., Issaquah) added an
RBI-single up the middle to tie the game.
After the Bulldogs regained the lead in the sixth and seventh innings, WSU
pulled even at seven in the eighth when Micah Banton (Jr., Honolulu,
Hawaii) scored on a Kevin Harasimowicz (Fr., Redmond) fielder's choice.
The Cougs appeared to take an 8-7 lead when Steve Gleason (Sr., Spokane)
flied out to left field, but Harasimowicz failed to tag up.
Brent Church led off the ninth inning with a single to right field and
Scott Asan followed with a walk from O'Brien. After failed sacrifice bunt
and a pop out to third base, Taylor stepped to the plate and drove the
first pitch from reliever Reggie Rivard (Jr., Bonnyville, Alberta) to the
left field wall to win the game.
The Cougars will return home to Bailey Field to start a six-game home-stand
with three on each end of the university's finals week. The University of
Washington Huskies will come to Pullman this weekend for a Pacific-10
Conference series with the first game being played Friday night at 6:30
p.m. Left-hander Todd Meldahl (Jr., Butte, Mont.) will face preseason
all-American Jeff Heaverlo in the opening contest.
WSU 100 004 110 - 7 7 1
GONZAGA 300 111 101 - 8 13 1
Zach Fisher, Sean Donlin (6), Lanakila Niles (7), Matt O'Brien (8), Reggie
Rivard (9), and Jeff Scherer, Ryan Smith.
Matt Siwek, Nick Hess (6), John Herbert (6), Kenon Willis (8), Tucker
Urdahl (9), and George Arnott, Scott Asan.
W - Urdahl (2-4); L - O'Brien (5-4); S - None, HR - Hart (10).
T - 3:30; A - 325.
WSU Hits - Gleason, Grove 2, Hattenburg, Bode, Scherer, Curran.
GU Hits - Hart 2, Taylor 3, Bay, Stokey 2, Hertz, Church, Asan, Hara 2.
E - Grove, Knight.
2B - Gleason, Stokey, Asan.
3B - Taylor.
