Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys and Bruins Treat Fans to Slugfest
April 09, 2003 | Cowboy Baseball
The Cowboys rode the left arm of Dale Pearson, who threw 151 pitches over 7 2/3 innings, and finally found the aluminum the program is known for in getting by UCLA in a sloppy eight-error NCAA Regional elimination round slugfest, 17-10, in front of 3490 at Wichita's Eck Stadium Saturday night.
The win propelled the Cowboys (42-18) into the final day of competition against host Wichita State (59-12), where OSU must win the 2 p.m. game and then come back to beat the Shockers in an if-necessary game at 6 p.m. Pearson did give up four home runs, two to UCLA stud Bill Scott, and seven runs on 12 hits, but what he did was save the bull pen for a full day of work Sunday.
"I knew what I had to do," the left-handed senior from Midwest City said. "Last year we were in the same situation and we needed somebody to come out.
I just seem to step my game up when I know it is on the line. I just wanted to go out and do my best. Lamont Matthews continued to swing the bat well, going 3-for-3 with a first inning grand slam and another shot in the fifth inning, as OSU erupted for seven runs in the first and seven more in the sixth. It helped everyone out to have those couple of days off to get away from baseball, Matthews said. We needed to work on a few things to get ready for this tournament. "I think everyone stepped up because we knew we had to win. If we didn't then the season was over and I dont think everyone was ready for it to end just yet."
After Oral Roberts pitchers walked 15 Cowboys in the afternoon elimination game, UCLA's Ryan Carter followed suit by walking three Cowboys in the first inning and hit Gasparino to load the bases. Matthews grand slam was a no-doubt-about-it blast over the right centerfield wall that gave O-State the early 6-1 lead.
Jimbo McAuliff then stepped to the plate and crushed a Carter pitch over the left field wall to make it 7-1. Things didnt start off well for OSU in the top of the first. After Pearson walked Pat Santora to start the game and gave up a one-out single to Bill Scott, second baseman Kevin Lucas booted a Garrett Atkins grounder to load the bases. Pearson nearly got out of the inning when Jason Green just beat out a 5-4-3 double play ball. Santora scored on the play giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead, but Pearson would come back to get Nick Lyon looking to end the threat.
The Bruins cut it to 7-2 in the second on an RBI-single by Chase Utley, but Pearson time and again over his stint worked himself out of jams. A 5-4-3 double play ended the second and in the third the Bruins loaded the bases, but Pearson got Matt Pearl looking and then got a break when Charles Merrichs lined one into the glove of first baseman Jay McCullough.
The Cowboys pushed the lead to 10-2, but the powerful Bruins came storming back with back-to-back home runs in the top of the sixth by Utley, over the right field wall, and Scott, whos blast to right center came on Pearsons 122nd pitch. A trip to the mound by OSU pitching coach John Farrell apparently worked as Pearson got a fly out to center and then struck out Forrest Johnson with some high heat, keeping it at 10-5 after five and a half. But reminiscent of days of old, the orange and black fired back with seven more runs highlighted by a two-run moon shot by McCullough to dead center field. UCLA gave some charity to start the sixth when shortstop Jack Santora threw one in the dirt allowing Kevin Lucas to reach. Lucas then stole second and scored on an RBI-single by Gasparino. Another stolen base, an error on
UCLA reliever Chad Cizlak and a wild pitch plated Gasparino to set up another Holliday hit by pitch in front of McCulloughs bomb. The sixth inning was the difference with UCLA making a run and then the Cowboys getting a little revenge for two seasons ago at Allie P. Reynolds Stadiium In the inning, 12 OSU batters came to the plate with Jimbo McAuliff adding a two-RBI single and Lucas getting an RBI-double on his second at-bat of the inning. Cizlak didnt have an outing too many pitchers would be happy with. The right hander gave up seven runs on five hits and committed an error in an inning and two thirds. All weekend long, Matthews has pounded the baseball, going 7-for-10 with three homers, 10 RBI and seven runs scored. "That ball club could have laid down, but they didn't," OSU coach Tom Holliday said. "They got on Trevor Leu a little bit and made a run, but we came right back and separated from them again in that sixth."
With all the talent on the UCLA squad, it was apparent that they were not going to go down without a fight. After Pearson gave up a two-run homer ot Scott in the eighth, Trevor Leu came on and immediately gave up back-to-back homers to Atkins and Forrest Johnson to make it 17-9, but Adam Berry flew out to deep center field and the eighth was over. The Cowboys will face regional host Wichita State (59-12) and will have to win two games today to advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament. The Shockers own wins over ORU, 13-5, and UCLA, 4-2 and will have a packed Eck Stadium behind them. Right-handed freshman Ben Kieter, who at 7-0, owns a win over Long Beach State this season, will get the start in Sundays first game.
The Cowboys will go with Frank Bludau (3-0, 5.87) and still has Rusty Rushing who has not thrown yet in the tournament.
NOTES * Billy Gasparino (OSU) was hit by his fifth pitch of the day (four vs. Oral Roberts) * Lamont Matthews' (OSU) grand slam was his fourth of the season * UCLA's Bill Scott gets his second multi-homer game of the year (had four versus Washington on March 30) * Attendance for tonight's UCLA/OSU game - 3,490
Oklahoma State head coach Tom Holliday: "The pitching wasn't beautiful, but Dale Pearson was pretty. He kept UCLA away from the big inning for us, which we asked him to do."
"It was a game we had to win and we played like it. When a team's back is against the wall, it brings out a team's personality, and we responded well tonight. I hope we'll be back playing in another doubleheader tomorrow."
"Wichita State plays and executes the game as well as any team in the country. You have to take runs when you can get them, and you can't afford to fall 2-0, 3-0 to a team like that. They're a great ball club, and it ain't gonna be easy."
Oklahoma State outfielder Lamont Matthews: "I'm glad I stepped it up. Right now, everyone's stepping it up, and hopefully we can come out and take two tomorrow. Everyone contributed tonight."
UCLA head coach Gary Adams: "It was a tough first inning and a tough sixth inning. Eliminate that and we beat them 10-3. I don't know what to say. We hit with them, we fielded with them, we just didn't pitch with them. That was the difference in the game."
UCLA shortstop Jack Santora: "I don't think it was anything he was doing. We hit the ball hard all day. We just weren't finding the holes, and sometimes it just doesn't go your way."
