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Baseball Falls to Oregon State 11-9 in Palm Springs Tournament
March 5, 2009
(Palm Springs, CA) - San Francisco baseball scored three in a ninth inning rally, but it wasn't enough as Oregon State took the 11-9 victory in Game 1 of the Palm Springs Tournament on Thursday afternoon. The Dons fall to 3-8, while the Beavers improve to 5-2 on the season.
USF jumped to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning. With runners as first and second, junior catcher Ryan Lipkin singled to score one, followed by a single off the bat of junior shortstop Derek Poppert to load the bases. Senior right fielder Drew Johnson then reached first base on a costly error by Beavers freshman third baseman Carter Bell that allowed the Dons second and third runs to cross the plate.
The lead was short lived however as OSU score four of their own in the second inning to take the 4-3 lead. It was a rough inning for the Dons, as all four Beavers runs came with two outs. With the bases loaded, junior designated hitter Adalberto Santos singled to plate two and the third run of the play came in after an error by Dons sophomore center fielder Connor Bernatz. The first run of the inning came after a bases loaded walk.
In the fifth, the Dons regained the lead, scoring two to make it 5-4. Sophomore first baseman Stephen Yarrow singled to lead off the inning and was followed by a single from junior designated hitter Bobby Ethel. Senior left fielder Zach Kim sacrificed the runners to second and third, and junior second baseman Robert Abel singled through the left side to score both runners. USF added a single run in the seventh to make it 6-4 when Johnson flew out to center, scoring Kim from third.
OSU took back the lead in the seventh, making it a 9-6 ballgame after plating five in the inning. They upped the ante in the following frame, scoring two to make it 11-6.
In the top of the ninth, the Dons were able to bring it to within two, 9-11. With the bases loaded and no outs, Poppert smashed a double down the left field line to score Kim and Abel. A batter later, Bernatz singled, plating Bernatz.
Poppert led the Dons at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and a stolen base. Yarrow also had two hits and scored a run. Abel had a single, scored two, batted in two, and stole his first base of the season. Lipkin added a single, two runs scored, and an RBI. Bernatz singled and batted in one. Ethel singled and scored a run. Kim didn't get a hit in the contest, but reached base three times on two walks and a hit by pitch, and stole his team leading 10th base.
Sophomore right-hander Matt Hiserman (0-2) took the loss in relief, allowing five earned runs, off three hits and two walks, and added one strikeout in 0.2 innings of work. Sophomore left-hander Matt Lujan earned the no-decision after throwing 5.2 innings and allowing four runs (three earned) off six hits. Lujan walked three and struck out four in his third start of the year. Sophomore lefty Garrett Luippold gave up a hit and a run in 1.0 inning and freshman righty Matt Chavez allowed a run on one hit and a walk, but also struck out a batter in a third of an inning. Junior left-hander Bob Mott threw a scoreless third to finish the game.
OSU's senior right-hander Mark Grbavac (1-0) earned the win in relief, tossing 1.2 innings. Grbavac allowed three earned runs of no hits, walked two and struck out two. Sophomore right-hander Greg Peavey started, allowing five runs (four earned) off seven hits. Peavey walked one and struck out four.
USF continues play in the Palm Springs Tournament tomorrow, meeting Texas Tech at Palm Springs Stadium. Please be sure to click the 2009 Palm Springs Tournament button on the baseball page at USFDons.com for more information.
