University of Washington
Oregon State
UW Scores 13 In Ninth To Beat OSU, 26-14
May 01, 2004 | Baseball
May 1, 2004
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The 21st-ranked Washington baseball team scored 13 runs in the ninth and emerged from what had been a tightly-contested slugfest with a 26-14 win over Oregon State Saturday in front of a Goss Stadium record crowd of 2,008.
Oregon State had fought back from deficits to tie or take a lead five times before the Huskies, who entered the ninth trailing 14-13, tallied their 13 runs on 11 hits, including a double, a triple and four home runs.
Husky center fielder Brent Lillibridge, who singled and scored the tying run in the ninth, went 4- for-5 with five runs and two walks. Senior Greg Isaacson, who was hit by a pitch and scored the go-ahead run in the ninth on a Kyle Larsen double, went 4-for-4 with five RBIs and reached base all seven times. Isaacson scored five runs and also homered in the ninth in his second plate appearance. Larsen was 4-for-6 with six runs batted in, two doubles and another of the UW's ninth-inning homers.
The Huskies had surrendered a 13-12 lead in the bottom of the eighth when OSU scored on a bases-loaded walk and a passed ball.
UW closer Will Fenton, who was on to finish the eighth, got the win to improve to 6-3 on the season. OSU freshman closer Kevin Gunderson, on to start the ninth, gave up four runs and suffered the loss to drop to 5-2.
Washington, still alone in second place in the Pac-10, improved to 25-14-1 overall and 9-5 in the conference while OSU fell to 27-13 and 7-7.
The UW comeback took the shine off of some impressive OSU offensive performances. Aaron Mathews was 4-for-5 with three RBIs and two home runs and shortstop Tony Calderon, who came in as a .197 hitter, went 3-for-4 with six batted in
Larsen got the Huskies off to a quick start in the top of the first when he belted a double to left field that drove home Lillibridge and Isaacson, giving the UW a 2-0 lead after half an inning.
Oregon State struck back in the second, tying the game at 2-2 with a pair of runs. Mathews led off with a long home run to left-center, his sixth of the year, and Cole Gillespie doubled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Calderon.
In the third, the Huskies used two OSU errors to move back on top. With one down, Nick Batkoski (3-for-7, four RBI) reached on an error by third baseman Shea McFeely and Matt Lane was safe on another by Gillespie, the Beavers' first baseman.
UW catcher Aaron Hathaway lined a double to left field to plate Batkoski and Lane scored on a sacrifice fly by John Otness. Hathaway, who moved to third on the sacrifice fly, came home on a wild pitch to make it 5-2.
OSU answered back immediately with three in the bottom of the third. After two quick outs, Mathews belted his second homer of the game to straightaway center. Gillespie and McFeely followed with singles and both scored on a single from Calderon, tying the game at 5-5.
Again, Washington took the lead back quickly, scoring two in the fourth. After a walk and a hit batter put two runners on, Larsen singled through the middle to plate one. A double-play groundout then scored Zach Clem from third, giving the UW a 7-5 lead.
A two-out, two run double in the fifth from Isaacson made it 9-5 before OSU mounted yet another comeback try. OSU opened the fifth with Gillespie reaching on an Isaacson throwing error. After a single from McFeely, Calderon blooped a single to right to drive in a run and chase Husky starter Matt Kasser from the game. After a bunt moved the runners up, a groundout scored one and Paul Richie followed with a single to cut the Husky lead to 9-8.
OSU finally got its first lead in the game in the bottom of the seventh as Calderon came through once again, singling up the middle with the bases loaded to drive in his fifth and sixth runs of the game. Chris Kunda followed with a bunt that drove in McFeely from third, giving the Beavers an 11-9 lead after six innings.
Playing from behind for the first time in the game, the Huskies came back with four runs in the top of the seventh. Isaacson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force the first run across and Clem followed with infield single to tie the game at 11-11. After a second out, Nick Batkoski drove in two with a single up the middle, giving the UW a 13-11 lead.
Not surprisingly, the Beavers scored in the bottom of the seventh as, with one out and none on, DH Mike Lissman homered to left-center. OSU went on to put runners at first and third with two outs before the Huskies called on freshman Richie Lentz. Lentz walked McFeely to load the bases, but got Calderon to swing and miss at a 3-2 pitch to end the inning with the Huskies still on top 13-12.
The Huskies and Beavers wrap up the series Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. game.
LINESCORE Pac-10 Conference #21 Washington 26, Oregon State 14 Washington 203 220 40(13) -- 26 24 1 Oregon State 023 033 120 -- 14 17 4 Matt Kasser, Trent Baysinger (5), Richie Lentz (7), Jamie Hawkins (8), Will Fenton (8), Jordan Ponzoha (9) and Aaron Hathaway, Ben Johnson (5). Dallas Buck, Kyle Aselton (5), Jake McCormick (7), Jared Sanders (7), Nathan Pendley (7), Kevin Gunderson (9), Ben Rowe (9), Chad Schroeder (9) and Paul Richie. W - Fenton (6-3). L - Gunderson (5-2). 2B - UW, Kyle Larsen 2, Hathaway, Greg Isaacson; OSU, Cole Gillespie. 3B - UW, Nick Batkoski. HR - UW, Taylor Johnson (3), Greg Isaacson (6), Larsen (9), Tyler Mach (4); OSU, Aaron Mathews 2 (7), Mike Lissman (5). T - 4:19. A - 2,008. Records: UW 25-14-1, 9-5 Pac-10; OSU 27-13, 7-7 Pac-10.
