Home 2009 Season Coverage2009 Top Players Pac-10 Recap Saturday 5/10

Pac-10 Recap Saturday 5/10

by Bryan Young
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Jeff KobernusCal 5 – @ Stanford 2

UCLA 11 – @ Oregon State 4

Washington State 5 – @ Washington 1

@ Arizona State 9 – Loyola Marymount 5

@ Arizona 7 – Utah Valley State 0

Cal State Northridge 5 – @ USC 4

With the win Cal takes the series victory from their across the bay rivals. Craig Bennigson picks up the win and throws 6 innings, gives up 1 earned run, walks 2, strikes out 4 and gives up 7 hits. Jeff Kobernus was the most prolific hitter going 3 for 4 with 2 critical Golden Bear RBI’s. Erik Davis takes the loss after throwing 7.2 innings, giving up 6 hits, 5 earned runs, walks 4 and strikes out 7.

Charles Brewer gets his 7 victory for UCLA after throwing 7.1 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 earned runs, walking 5 but striking out 9. Cody Decker was the designated hitter for the Bruins and accomplished that going 2 for 5 with a home run and 4 RBI’s. Tanner Robles started for O,SU but only lasted 0.2 of an inning facing just 6 batters allowing 2 hits, 3 runs, walking 2 and striking out just 1.

Jayson Miller throws a complete game for WSU and ties his career high with 9 strike outs. Scott Suttmeier and Michael Weber each had 3 hits for the Cougars, while 2 of Weber’s went for doubles. Sean Meehan had 3 hits for the Huskies.

Mike Leake continues to be a superhero for ASU throwing 6 innings on Saturday night after previously throwing 2.1 innings of relief on Wednesday. He struck out 6, allowed 0 walks and just 2 earned runs on 6 hits. He also went 1 for 4 at the plate with 1 run and 1 RBI as well. Brett Wallace went 2 for 4 for the Sun Devils with 4 RBI’s and also hit his team leading 16th HR. Matt Koch was the only Lion with 2 hits.

David Coulon and Daniel Schlereth combined to shut out UVS. They stuck out 8 while giving up just 3 hits.

Ryan Pineda singled home two runs including the game winner in the 8th inning as the Matadors took the first game of the series.

Media Releases

(Stanford, CA) – Sophomore third baseman Jeff Kobernus went 3-for-4, including a clutch two-run single in the seventh inning, as the No. 16-ranked California baseball team defeated No. 6-ranked Stanford, 5-2, Saturday at Sunken Diamond. The Golden Bears improved to 32-15-2 on the year and 11-9 in the Pac-10. Stanford goes to 28-18-2 and 10-7 in league play. With the win, Cal captures the series, having defeated the Cardinal, 4-3 in 10 innings, Friday night.

The winning pitcher for Cal was junior left-hander Craig Bennigson (4-3), who threw 6.0 innings with seven hits, two runs, one earned run, two walks and four strikeouts. The Bears also received outstanding relief pitching as sophomore right fielder/pitcher Blake Smith threw 2.0 innings with no hits, no walks and four strikeouts, while junior right-hander Matt Gorgen, winner of Friday night’s game, earned his ninth save of the year by throwing the ninth inning (two hits, one strikeout). Gorgen’s ninth save this season is second on Cal’s all-time single-season save list, and his 20th career save is second on the Bears’ all-time career save list.

The losing pitcher for Stanford was top starter Erik Davis, who saw his record drop to 7-2, throwing 7.2 innings with six hits, five runs, four walks and seven strikeouts.

Cal scored its first run of the day in the top of the third inning when Kobernus led-off with a single to left and advanced to second on junior shortstop Michael Brady’s sacrifice bunt. Junior left fielder Charlie Cutler later drove in Kobernus with an RBI single up the middle. Stanford came back with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jeff Whitlow led-off with a single off of Bennigson’s leg, and then advanced to third when Bennigson threw wildly to first base. After Bennigson was able to strikeout Zach Jones, he yielded a run scoring single to Jake Schlander. In an exciting play that followed, Colin Walsh doubled, but Schlander was thrown out at the plate on a relay throw from sophomore center fielder Brett Jackson to senior second baseman Josh Satin to sophomore catcher Dylan Tonneson. Bennigson then got Toby Gerhart to ground out to shortstop to end the inning.

Stanford took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning when Whitlow single to lead-off the inning, was sacrificed to second and scored on Schlander’s RBI single to right field.

Cal was able to take control of the game by scoring three runs in the seventh inning on Kobernus’ key two-run single to right field, and Brady’s run-scoring bunt. The Bears added an insurance run in the top of the eighth on Tonneson’s RBI single up the middle off of Stanford reliever Alex Pracher for the final 5-2 score.

Cal plays Stanford in the final game of the three-game Pac-10 series, Sunday, May 11 at 1 p.m. at Sunken Diamond.

Home Runs:

Cal: None.

Stanford: None.

(Corvallis, OR) – Right-hander Charles Brewer (7-4) logged his team-leading seventh win of the season, recording nine strikeouts in 7.1 innings, as the UCLA baseball team recorded an 11-4 win at Oregon State in a crucial Pac-10 contest Saturday afternoon before 2,539 fans at Goss Stadium.

The Bruins (25-22, 8-9 Pac-10) received home runs from shortstop Brandon Crawford, designated hitter Cody Decker and right fielder Raul Duran to power past the host Beavers (23-19, 10-10 Pac-10). Decker was 2-for-5 with a team-leading four RBI. Crawford was 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, and Duran belted his first career homer.

Brewer, a sophomore right-hander from Paradise Valley, Ariz., allowed four runs (two earned) and five hits in 7.1 innings of work. Junior right-hander Jason Novak registered his second save of the season, tossing 1.2 hitless innings in relief. Novak entered the game in the bottom of the eighth inning with runners aboard first and second base and induced an inning-ending double play from right fielder Daniel Robertson.

Eight Bruins each recorded at least one hit, and four players posted multi-hit efforts – Crawford, Decker, first baseman Casey Haerther and catcher Ryan Babineau. Crawford and Haerther each finished the day with two RBI.

Oregon State was led offensively by designated hitter Jason Ogata, who was 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Second baseman Lonnie Lechelt was 1-for-5 at the plate with a solo home run, his fourth blast of the season.

Right-hander Greg Peavey (2-3) absorbed the loss, surrendering five runs and seven hits in 5.2 innings of relief. Peavey entered the game with two outs in the top of the first inning, after Oregon State left-handed starting pitcher Tanner Robles allowed three runs (two earned) off two hits and two walks.

The Bruins scored three runs in each of the first and third innings. With runners at second and third and nobody out in the first, Haerther laced a single to center, scoring both Bruins and handing UCLA a 2-0 lead. After advancing to second base on a wild pitch and stealing third, Haerther scored on a ball-four pass ball to left fielder Mickey Weisser.

Oregon State tied the contest, 3-3, in the bottom of the inning. Left fielder John Wallace led off by reaching safely on a fielding error by Crawford. After first baseman Jordan Lennerton drew a one-out walk, Ogata lined a single to left field, scoring Wallace from second. A double to left field by catcher Ryan Ortiz sent home Lennerton, and third baseman Drew George’s sacrifice fly to center plated Ogata, tying the game, 3-3.

In UCLA’s three-run third inning, Crawford belted a one-out double off the base of the right-field fence. Babineau and Weisser followed with walks to load the bases. Decker lined a single up the middle, scoring both Crawford and Babineau. Right fielder Gabe Cohen’s sacrifice fly to right scored Weisser from third.

UCLA extended its lead to 8-3 on a two-run blast to left field by Crawford, his fifth home run of the season. In the top of the ninth, Decker registered his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field. Duran followed Decker, crushing the first pitch of his at-bat over the wall in left-center field to give UCLA an 11-4 lead.

The Bruins conclude their three-game series at Oregon State on Sunday at 1 p.m. UCLA left-hander Gavin Brooks (5-2) will start on the mound against Oregon State right-hander Jorge Reyes (3-2).

Game Notes: Cody Decker and Raul Duran became the first Bruins to belt back-to-back home runs since April 8, 2008, when Brandon Crawford and Casey Haerther accomplished the feat in a 6-5, 10-inning loss to UC Irvine…Haerther logged his 19th multi-hit game when he notched his second hit of the game in the top of the fourth inning – Haerther and Alden Carrithers are tied for the team lead with 19 multi-hit efforts.

(Seattle, WA) – Senior Jayson Miller tossed a complete game to lead Washington State past Washington 5-1 in Pacific-10 Conference baseball at Husky Ballpark, Saturday.

Miller (7-1) gave up eight hits, tied his career high with nine strikeouts and came within a strike of earning his first-career shutout. He threw 144 pitches, 87 for strikes.

“Every time we need a win, Jayson Miller gives us a big effort,” WSU Head Coach Donnie Marbut said. “You cannot say enough about him.”

Washington State (27-21, 6-11 Pac-10) took a 3-0 with three runs in the top half of the third off Washington (30-17, 9-8 Pac-10) starter Cam Nobles (4-4). Travis Coulter and Scott Suttmeier opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and Paul Gran drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly to right. Jim Murphy followed with a two-run home run into the Washington State bullpen beyond the left field wall to put the Cougars on top 3-0. With the blast, Murphy moved into sole possession of the seventh place on the WSU all-time list with 31.

In the seventh, Suttmeier led off the inning by beating out an infield and moved to second when Washington second baseman Bradley Boyer’s throw sailed into the dugout. One out later, Murphy just missed his second home run of the day with a double off the top of the wall in left center. Suttmeier came in to score as Murphy raised his career RBI total to 151, good for eighth on the Cougar all-time list, to give WSU a 4-0 advantage.

The Cougars tacked on a run in the eighth inning as Michael Weber singled, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out, and was scored on Coulter’s bloop single to center.

Washington broke up Miller’s shutout bid in the ninth with a pair of two-out singles and a two-strike, RBI-double by pinch hitter Ty Rasmussen.

The rubber game of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m., Sunday.

(Tempe, AZ) – #3 Arizona State defeated Loyola Marymount 9-5 in the opener of a three-game series Saturday night in front of a crowd of 3,008 at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. The Sun Devils improve to 39-9 on the season with the victory.

Brett Wallace drove in four runs and hit a three-run homer of the season to lead the ASU offense. Starting pitcher Mike Leake went six innings, allowing two earned runs with six strikeouts and no walks, to get the win and move to 8-1 on the year. Leake also had an RBI single as the designated hitter in the game.

Tommy Rafferty earned his third save of the season, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

The Lions started the scoring with a two-run homer by Angelo Songco in the first inning, but the Sun Devils answered in the bottom half of the inning with a three-run shot to right by Wallace. It was Wallace’s 16th home run of the season, equaling his career high.

ASU added to its lead with two runs in the fourth, with a double by Raoul Torrez and a single by Ryan Sontag. The Devils scored three more in the fifth on RBI singles by Leake and Matt Newman, and Kiel Roling scored on a wild pitch.

After LMU scored a run in the sixth, Wallace hit a sacrifice fly to give ASU another run. The Lions added two runs in the seventh, but that would be all the scoring for the night.

Five Sun Devils had two hits each, as Wallace, Newman, Torrez and Petey Paramore all went 2-for-4 and Sontag was 2-for-3.

The two teams continue their series tomorrow night, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.

(Tucson, AZ) – Senior David Coulon allowed just three hits over seven scoreless innings on Saturday and junior relief ace Daniel Schlereth struck three over the final two frames, as the pair of southpaws teamed up to hurl Arizona’s seventh shutout of the season, the most for any UA club since 1976.

The 7-0 victory over Utah Valley improved the Wildcats to 33-15 for the year and to 20-3 at Kindall Field this season. The Wolverines dropped to 14-33 overall with the loss.

Coulon (7-3), who has taken part in three of UA’s seven shutouts this season and five total in his four-year career, worked quickly to keep the UVU offense off balance all night. The left-hander retired the first eight batters he faced to start the contest, struck out five and did not allow a runner to get past second base. Aided by some timely defense behind him and on his own, he was able to work around four walks to pick up his team-leading seventh win of the year.

Schlereth, who entered the weekend tied for ninth in the Pac-10 in strikeouts this season despite being a reliever, retired the final six UVU hitters in order, striking out one in the eighth and a pair in the ninth to raise his season total to 65 Ks in just 45 2/3 innings of work.

Offensively junior T.J. Steele led the way finishing 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles, his 19th stolen base of the season, two RBI and two runs scored.

Classmates Brad Glenn and Jon Gaston each paired hits on the night, with Gaston connecting on his 10th home run of the season, a solo shot to right in the sixth, and Glenn adding his 10th double of the year.

Sophomore Diallo Fon hit a solo homer in the seventh, his third of the year and UA’s seventh in two games against Utah Valley, to raise Arizona’s team total to 61 for the year.

Arizona will close out the non-conference portion of the regular season on Sunday when it tries for the series sweep. Left-hander Eric Berger is the scheduled starter with first pitch slated for noon. In celebration of Mother’s Day, all moms will be admitted free of charge to the game when accompanied by a ticket purchaser.

(Los Angeles, CA) – Cal State Northridge (22-25) flirted with the line between victory and defeat al evening but came out on the good side of a 5-4 decision at USC’s Dedeaux field. Ryan Pineda brought in the go-ahead runs and Edwin Quirarte stranded two Trojans in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win.

Trojan hurler Tommy Milone got out to the hot start for USC, retiring the first eight men he faced and helping the Trojans to an early 1-0 lead.

In the second, a leadoff double but Northridge starter Phil Hann. Keith Castillo’s two-bagger led to the opening score and gave USC the one score advantage.

On the Northridge side of things, the offense took a handful of innings to hit its stride. In the fourth, however, the bats came alive and evened the ledger at one apiece. John Parham capitalized on a fielding error at the tail end of his single into right field to move to second and then moved up two more on a Richard Cates double.

The Matadors continued the momentum into the fifth. After Matt Warr led off the frame by bouncing a line drive off the wall in left field for a triple, Jason Dabbs hit a bounder over to Roberto Lopez at third that was muffed, allowing Warr to cross the dish. Dabbs later scored on a TS Reed single, giving Northridge a 3-1 advantage.

Hann found his groove as well. After giving up the score in the second, Hann strung together three consecutive blank frames before a troublesome sixth. In that inning, the Trojans logged three hits, and if not for a base running mistake that resulted in Trojan speedster Nick Buss being gunned down at the dish, USC may have been able to score more than the one run they managed. Grant Green scored on a Castillo double to halve the Matador lead.

The men of Troy evened the score in the seventh. With reliever Davin Tate on the hill, USC got a man aboard with two outs when catcher Robert Stock was hit by an 0-2 fastball. Pinch runner Mike O’Neill came around to score after a balk and a Roberto Lopez double to level the scoreboard at 3-3. Edwin Quirarte came on for the third out, which he got on the first hitter he faced.

Northridge started the process of retaking the lead in the top of the eighth. In that frame, Jeff Pruitt logged his second bunt single to lead things off and TS Reed followed with a line drive single back through the box. Head coach Steve Rousey opted to have John Parham lay down the sac bunt, but the junior failed to execute and went down looking.

That left runners at first and second with one down and top RBI man Richard Cates at the plate. Cates bounded a ball over to shortstop that took Green too far out of position to hope for a play at first. The sophomore opted instead to try for Pruitt at third, but his flip was too late. Pruitt slid in safely, securing a single for Cates and loading the bases.

The infield hit prompted Trojan skipper Chad Kreuter to dip into his bullpen for former Friday starter Brad Boxberger to face Ryan Pineda. Pineda promptly lined a 1-0 fastball into center field, sending in Pruitt and Reed and sending the Matadors into a 5-3 lead.

Northridge gave one back in the bottom of the eighth as Quirarte coughed up a leadoff triple to Green and Chris Hannick mishandled a back pick play that allowed Green to score.

Northridge went down quietly in the top half of the ninth, setting up a chance for Quirarte to nail down his third win. The junior closer got the first two men he faced before surrendering a single and walking man to put the tying run on second with Trojan powerhouse Green at the plate. Quirarte induced a hard bouncer out to second that Reed was able to corral, and a good throw to first secured the 5-4 win.

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