Oklahoma State University Athletics
Once again Cowboys Rebound on Saturday
June 21, 1999 | Cowboy Baseball
May 15, 1999
LUBBOCK, Texas - For the third week in a row, Oklahoma State junior Thom Dreier was the recipient of a ballclub coming off a disappointing Friday night showing and then taking out some offensive frustration on a Big 12 opponent during a Saturday contest.
Heading into the top of the fourth OSU held a 2-0 lead. Twelve batters and four pitchers later, OSU led 9-0.
Tech starter Brad Ralston, who entered the game at 9-0, was lit up for six earned runs and seven hits and and was sent to the showers after only one was out in the third, as the Cowboys came back to wallop Texas Tech, 12-3, at Dan Law Field in Lubbock in front of 4520 sun soaked fans. OSU (39-15, 17-9) got six solid innings from Dreier, who allowed only four hits and improved his season mark to 8-3.
"Texas Tech is always a tough place to play," Dreier said. "We lost another close one Friday and I knew I needed to come back and set the tone early. Our offense really took care that early in the game."
The offense Dreier spoke of came in the fourth inning. Ralston got Lamont Matthews to ground out to open the inning, but gave up back-to-back singles to Jay McCullough and Chris Becerra before hitting Ryan Budde to load the bases for Toby Rhodes. Ralston walked Rhodes, making it 3-0, and his afternoon was done. Clancy Fossum came on to bean Carlos Gautreaux forcing in another run and was replaced by Steve Rowe on the hill. Rowe was touched for three straight singles by Kevin Lucas, Billy Gasparino and Josh Holliday, putting the Cowboys up 9-0, and bringing Tech coach Larry Hays to take the ball from another Raider hurler. Lefty Zach Stewart came on to strike out two and end the melee', but OSU was well on their way to win No. 39.
"I was just glad to get Ralston to the mound and get him a couple of innings," Hays said. "If we could have gotten a little defense behind him, he might have been able to go a little longer.
"Oklahoma State has gotten two superior pitching performances the last two days. Dreier was just outstanding for them (Saturday)." Stewart was tagged in the fifth, giving up a two-out walk to Carlos Gautreaux and then a two-run homer to Lucas, putting OSU up 11-0. Just before Lucas' second at-bat, the Tech fans, known as "The Hecklers" who sit above the visitors dugout did some verbal sparring with the OSU senior.
"They wanted me to play catch with them before I went up to bat," said Lucas, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs. "I just told them I needed to go up and hit first. They really aren't that bad. I think they kind of started to like me because I was talking back at them a little.
"They are not nearly as bad when their team is being beaten pretty bad like (Saturday)."
While Tech struggled to find outs, Dreier continued his conference dominance. Against Oklahoma, Dreier went seven and was almost untouchable and against Texas it wasn't even close until the big junior began to tire in the sixth inning.Saturday, Dreier was given a ton of offensive support, but might not have needed much, striking out seven through the first five innings and only allowing Tech three hits. The 6-4 right hander's confidence may be at an all time high.
"I've felt pretty good lately," Dreier said. "I've also gotten some help from our offense in most of my starts.
"As long as we keep playing like we did (Saturday) I think it will be easier for me to to go out and pitch. When you look up and see seven or eight runs on the scoreboard it tends to relax you a little on the mound." OSU head coach Tom Holliday was a bit more relaxed after his team's performance Saturday.
"Thom (Dreier) is reaping the benefits of our club coming out and playing a lot better baseball on Saturdays," Holliday said. "Right now, the way Thom is pitching we have two guys you have to consider aces. We swung the bat well and when you put a seven-spot up there that kind of takes some of the life out of them.
"We need to come out and respond (Sunday) and leave here with a good feeling about this ballclub. We are still in a fight with Nebraska right now, so we need to come out (Sunday) and take care of our end. We are also playing for a regional and (Sunday's) game may decide where one of them goes.
"If we can come out and get No. 40 and take one more from Tech at the same time, that will only be a positive for us."
With Dreier beginning to tire, OSU pitching coach John Farrell went with lefty Stu Hunt, who gave Tech their only runs of the day on two singles, a double and a two-out Lucas error, scoring three in the eighth, cutting into the already big OSU lead.
Chris Becerra added his 10th homer of the season to start the ninth and put the finishing touches on the Saturday rout. "We needed to come out like we did today," Gasparino added. "Sunday's game is pretty big because we can get to 40 wins and that has been a goal for us all season."
McCullough got the Cowboy offense going, taking a 3-2 Ralston pitch over the right center field wall in his first at-bat for his 10th home run of the season. The senior from Frederick got OSU going in Friday's game as well, taking a Shane Wright offering over the left field wall giving the Cowboys a 1-0 lead.
OSU pounded five pitchers for 14 hits, led by Lucas' and McCullough's three apiece, Josh Holliday's, Gasparino's and Becerra's two.
By Roger Moore
NewsPress Sports Editor
R H E
OSU 011 720 001 12 11 2
TECH 000 000 030 3 8 2
Dreier, Hunt (7) and Budde. Ralston, Fossum (4),
Rowe (4), Stewart (4), Gutierrez (6) and Bard.
2B-McAuliff, Holliday, Austry. HR-McCullough (10),
Lucas (5), Becerra (10).
WP-Dreier (8-3). LP-Ralston (9-1)
