Arizona 5 – @ Washington 0
@ Cal 9 – Oregon State 3
USC 7 – @ UCLA 4
@ Washington State 6 – UC Davis 4 (Game 1)
@ Washington State 7 – UC Davis 5 (Game 2)
Media Releases
(Seattle, WA) – Less than 12 hours after getting shut out 1-0 by Washington, left-hander David Coulon and the Arizona baseball team returned the favor with a series-tying 5-0 whitewashing at Husky Ballpark on Saturday.
The victory, UA second in its last three games, improved the Cats to 15-10 for the year and to 3-5 in the conference standings. UW dropped to 19-9 overall and to 2-3 in the Pac-10 with the loss.
Coulon (5-2) was in complete control in his second career complete game shutout, scattering seven singles on the afternoon and not allowing a Husky base runner to reach second until there were two outs in the ninth. He finished the contest with five strikeouts against just one walk for this team-leading fifth win of the year.
The Wildcat offense, which managed just two hits in a 1-0 loss to UW at Safeco Field on Friday, got on the board early with a run in the first.
Senior Colt Sedbrook reached on a one-out single, advance to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a single by classmate C.J. Ziegler. Sophomore Dillon Baird plated Sedbrook on a sacrifice fly to stake UA to the early 1-0 edge.
Although the 1-0 edge eventually proved to be enough for the Coulon on the day, the Cats added some breathing room for the senior southpaw in the seventh.
Junior T.J. Steele was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. The speedy centerfielder stole second, his seventh steal in seven tries this year and just the eighth allowed by UW this season, and moved to third on a single to right by classmate Jon Gaston.
With runners on the corners and no outs, sophomore Rafael Valenzuela dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Gaston to second and plate Steele for a 2-0 UA lead. After a strikeout by Bryce Ortega for the second out in the inning, UW starter Cam Nobles (2-1) walked pinch hitter Bobby Coyle to put runners on first and second and end his day on the mound.
Sophomore Diallo Fon greeted reliever Elliott Cribby with 2-1 single to center to score Gaston and push UA’s cushion to three. A throw by UW centerfielder Michael Burgher trying to get Coyle at third on Fon’s single found its way into the Arizona dugout for an error that allowed the Wildcat freshman to score and make it 4-0 Cats.
Ziegler, who finished the game 3 for 4 with a double, a run and a RBI, hit his team leading 10th homer of the season into a stiff wind to left to lead off the eighth and cap the scoring at 5-0.
The Wildcats and Huskies will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. UA left-hander Eric Berger will take the mound as the Wildcats will attempt to win their first conference series of the season.
Notes
Coulon tossed a nine-inning CG at USC on May 27, 2006. The left-hander blanked the Trojans on seven hits and finished with seven Ks and only one walk in his only other career complete game … In five career games against Washington Ziegler is batting .476 (10 for 21) with five runs scored, three doubles, a home run and nine RBI.
(Berkeley, CA) – No. 7-ranked Cal pounded out 13 hits and received outstanding relief pitching from freshman right-hander Kevin Miller, defeating two-time defending national champion Oregon State, 9-3, Saturday in the second game of a three-game Pac-10 series at Evans Diamond. The Golden Bears, who won, 5-2, Friday to captured the series from the Beavers for the first time since 2002, improved to 21-6-1 overall and 4-1 in conference. The Beavers dropped to 14-10 overall and 2-3 in league play.
Miller improved his record to 5-0 as he relieved Cal starter Craig Bennigson in the third inning and proceeded to throw a career-high 6.2 innings with only one hit, no runs, three walks and a career-high seven strikeouts against OSU. The frosh right-hander from Valley Christian High School in San Jose continued his phenomenal rookie season as he has yet to give up an earned run in 38.2 innings, recording 38 strikeouts.
On the offensive end, the Bears scored nine runs on 13 hits with junior shortstop Michael Brady hitting a three-run triple in the second inning and junior first baseman David Cooper hitting a two-run homer in the third inning. Sophomore third baseman Jeff Kobernus also went 3-for-5, and Charlie Cutler, Brett Jackson and Blake Smith recorded two hits apiece as well.
The Beavers started the day’s scoring with a run in the top of the first on Ryan Ortiz’s RBI single off of Bennigson. Cal answered with three runs in the bottom of the second off of OSU starter James Nygren (0-1, 2.1 innings, five hits, seven runs, two walks), highlighted by Brady’s three-run triple to left-center field. Oregon State came back to tie the game, 3-3, with two runs in the top of the third on Jason Ogata’s two-run double.
But Cooper’s 12th home run of the season and RBIs by sophomore catcher Dylan Tonneson and Brady sealed it for Cal in the bottom of the third inning as Miller shut down OSU the rest of the way. The Bears added a run in the fourth inning on senior second baseman Josh Satin’s sacrifice fly, and another run in the eighth inning on Jackson’s RBI single to for the final, 9-3, win.
The Bears will play Oregon State in the final game of the three-game conference series, Sunday, Apr. 6, at 1 p.m. at Evans Diamond.
(Los Angeles, CA) – Sophomore Grant Green (Anaheim Hills/Canyon HS) went 4-for-4 with one RBI while junior right-hander Ryan Cook (Clovis/Clovis HS) went eight innings as the USC Trojans defeated the No. 23 UCLA Bruins, 7-4, in a Pac-10 Conference game. Cook allowed three runs in the fourth, but did not allow a hit in the following four innings.
USC improved to 15-14 overall and evened its Pac-10 record at 4-4 while UCLA fell to 13-12 overall, 2-3 in conference. The Trojans hit four home runs in today’s game.
Sophomore catcher/pitcher Robert Stock (Westlake Village/Agoura HS) pitched for the third time in the last four games, recording two strikeouts in the ninth for his second save this week.
UCLA starter Charles Brewer (3-3) went four innings, allowing four runs on six hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
Green led off the USC fourth with his second home run of the season, hitting a solo shot to left. The Trojans then caught a break on a fluke play. Derek Perren hit a pop up to short and as Bruin shortstop Brandon Crawford was ready to make the catch, his glove was knocked out of his hand by the umpire who was running towards second base. With no glove, Crawford was unable to make the catch and the play stood as Perren was credited with a base hit. After Brewer walked Stock to put runners at first and second, Mike Roskopf and Hector Rabago hit back-to-back RBI singles for the 3-0 USC lead.
UCLA responded with three in the bottom half of the inning. Alden Carrithers led off with his second homer of the year with the shot to right. Crawford singled to center and moved to second on a balk called against Cook. Tim Murphy doubled down the right field and later scored on Ryan Babineau’s RBI single to tie the game.
Anthony Vasquez gave the momentum back to USC, leading off the fifth with a solo shot to right center to knock out Brewer. Grant Green greeted reliever Matt Drummond with a single before Roberto Lopez launched his second homer of the season with a two-run shot to left and a 6-3 Trojans lead.
Nick Buss added his third homer of the season with a solo shot in the eighth. UCLA put runners at first and second in the ninth before Stock entered the game. He struck out Murphy for the first out and a potential wild pitch caught pinch runner Blair Dunlap off first as the Trojans ran him down for the second out. Stock’s wild pitch scored Crawford from third, but he came back to strike out Babineau to close out the win.
The series concludes tomorrow with a 1 p.m. game, which will be broadcast (audio only) on usctrojans.com.
Notes: With four home runs today, USC now has 27 home runs on the season (two more than all of last season)…Robert Stock has not allowed a run in 7 2/3 innings this season…Stock has allowed just three hits with no walks, 15 strikeouts and a .115 OBA…Ryan Cook has thrown seven innings or more in his three Pac-10 Conference starts this season…USC has now won two Pac-10 Conference series this season, both against Top 25 teams (No. 2 Arizona and No. 23 UCLA)…the Trojans’ current four-game winning streak matches their longest of the season.
(Pullman, WA) – Washington State used four multiple run innings to earn a pair of two-run victories in a nonconference baseball doubleheader sweep of UC Davis at Bailey-Brayton Field Saturday. Washington State put together two three-run innings during the first game in a 6-4 win and used a four runs in the second and two runs in the sixth to win the second game, 7-5.
The wins improve the Cougars to 18-11 overall while the Aggies fall to 19-10. It is the first time this season that UC Davis was swept in a doubleheader.
Ryan Royster totaled four RBI’s, two in each game, and hit his team-leading seventh home run to pace the Aggies’ offense in the doubleheader. Ty Kelly had a hit and an RBI in both games.
Tim Murphy totaled four RBI’s in the two games to lead Washington State. Jared Prince had two RBI’s in the second game. Three of Murphy’s RBI’s came in the first game.
Each team jumped out to leads after the first inning of each game. The Aggies scored all nine of its runs in four innings during the doubleheader. Washington State scored all of its 13 runs in five innings.
UC Davis opened up with a 2-0 lead after the first inning of the second game. Royster led off the inning with a single and was doubled home by Kelly to get on the board. Ryan Scoma drove home Kelly on a ground out to cap the inning.
Washington State put up its biggest inning of the doubleheader with a four-run second inning. Prince homered to open the big inning. The other three Cougar runs came off two singles and a sacrifice fly.
The Aggies scored three more runs in the fourth inning to reclaim the lead at 5-4. Alex Dreyfuss brought home the first run off a sacrifice fly and Royster singled home two more in the inning.
The Cougars scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth and added another in the eighth to earn the eventual two-run win. Murphy drove in the tying run off an infield single and Prince brought home the eventual winning run off a single through the left side. The run in the eight came off another Prince single.
Andrew Davis was perfect through the final 3.2 innings while striking out a game-high four batters to earn the win. Jeremy McChesney was credited with the loss for the Aggies.
The Cougars scored all six runs in two innings in the first game. They opened with a three-run first inning and scored three more in the sixth. Murphy led the Cougars offensively with three RBI’s on just one hit. He walked to bring in a run in the first inning and hit a two-run single in the sixth to drive in the eventual winning run.
Trailing 3-0, UC Davis scored two runs in the second inning and took the lead with another two runs in the fourth inning. Matt Dempsey and Kelly drove in runs in the second inning off RBI singles. Royster hit a two-run homer in the fourth to put the Aggies ahead, 4-3.
Reliever Andy Suiter gave up only one hit and allowed two base runners through the final 2.1 innings to keep the game close. Brad McAtee got the loss.
The series concludes tomorrow at noon.
