Pac-10 Baseball: #7 ASU Sweeps #16 Oregon State

OSU honored the seniors playing their final regular season home game – pitcher Greg Keim, outfielder Lissman, pitcher Maxwell, pitcher Jake McCormick and outfielder Scott Santschi.

OSU pitcher Eddie Kunz Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State managed its first lead of the weekend but seventh-ranked Arizona State came back to beat the 16th-ranked Beavers 8-1 in Pacific-10 baseball Sunday afternoon at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.

OSU (36-16 overall, 8-13 Pac-10) saw the Sun Devils (41-12, 17-4) clinch at least a tie for the Pac-10 championship that the Beavers had won the past two seasons.

“We need to go down there and win the series if we’re going to play at the end of the season,” OSU head coach Pat Casey said of the Beavers needing to build their case for a third straight postseason appearance and a chance to defend their 2006 national championship.

On Sunday, ASU lefthander Brian Flores threw a one-hitter at the Beavers, allowing just a second-inning single up the middle by Braden Wells. Flores walked three and struck out eight as he improved his record to 9-1 this season.

Oregon State limited Arizona State to an average of five runs per game in the series, half of what the Sun Devils – the nation’s highest-scoring team going into the weekend – had been averaging. But OSU was limited to four runs in the series and had three hits in the final two games.

“I thought we played good baseball in the first two games of the series, but I don’t think we played very well today,” Casey said. “I don’t think there was that sense of urgency you’re looking for when your backs are to the wall.”

The Beavers did go in front 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning.

After Wells’ single with one out, Mike Lissman was hit by a pitch and then Erik Ammon flied out to right deep enough to advance Wells to third.

With two out, Lissman lit out for second base and drew a pickoff throw from Flores; Wells headed for the plate and got there just ahead of the relay throw to score.

ASU tied the game on a hit and an OSU error in the top of the third inning.

The Sun Devils took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning when Eric Sogard and Ike Davis started the frame with singles against Oregon State starter Jorge Reyes, were sacrificed to second and third, and scored on Petey Paramore’s two-run single up the middle.

The Sun Devils then scored five runs – four of them unearned – in the top of the fifth inning to go up 8-1, aided by three Oregon State errors; the big blow was Brett Wallace’s two-run homer to rightfield.

The Beavers – the national leaders in fielding percentage entering the week – committed a season-high six errors in the contest; OSU hadn’t committed an error in its last six games and had committed a total of five errors in their last 18 games.

OSU pitchers Daniel Turpen, Anton Maxwell and Eddie Kunz then combined to blank the Sun Devils over the final four innings.

The start of the game was delayed 48 minutes by rain.

Prior to the contest, OSU honored the seniors playing their final regular season home game – pitcher Greg Keim, outfielder Lissman, pitcher Maxwell, pitcher Jake McCormick and outfielder Scott Santschi.

OSU now finishes its regular season with a series at UCLA next weekend with games Friday at 6:00 PM, Saturday at 2:00 PM and Sunday at 1:00 PM.

All three games can be heard on KEJO-AM (1240) in the Corvallis area, KUIK-AM (1360) in the Portland area, KKNX-AM (840) in the Eugene area and KICE-AM (940) in the Bend area.

Live audio is available via subscription through Beaver Nation Online at www.osubeavers.com, and live statistics are available on www.osubeavers.com.

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