March 2, 2002
Box Score
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Gonzaga hit three homeruns Saturday afternoon but it was not enough as the Bulldogs (5-7) dropped a 9-8 contest to Oregon State (8-6) in the middle game of a weekend series. The teams will wrap up the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Goss Stadium.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Kemp Quackenbush and Garth Blumberg singled to open the inning. After a John Gebbers sacrifice move the runners to second and third, Grant Zurmely delivered a two-run single up the middle.
Gonzaga starter Kyle Nearhood worked out a dangerous situation in the first inning but could not overcome a costly error in the second as the Beavers scored five unearned runs. After a ball was dropped in the outfield for the second out of the inning, Paul Richie was tossed out for what should have been the third out of the inning. Instead Oregon State connected for five straight hits including a two-run double by Kerisi Reynolds and a triple by Aaron Fausett.
Nate Gold's first homerun of the afternoon closed the gap to 5-3, but OSU opened the third inning with a Seth Piestsch triple and Chris Biles double. Brent Dayton was able to get Gonzaga out of the inning with only one more run scoring to stake the Beavers to a 7-3 lead.
Garth Blumberg's homerun to lead off the fourth helped Gonzaga move to within three runs. Oregon State starter Stephen Copeland would walk the bases loaded with no outs but Gonzaga could only score two runs against the OSU bullpen with a Jeff Culpepper single and Gold sacrifice fly.
Brian Barden's RBI single in the fifth stretched OSU's lead to 8-6 but Gold's second homerun of the game knotted the game at 8-8. Gold's shot came against eventual winner Don Stykel (2-0) in the top of the seventh. Oregon State would get the game winning run on a single by Barden in the bottom of the seventh.
Bulldogs reliever Brent Dayton (0-1) was saddled with the loss despite pitching 5.1 innings of two run relief. Mike Ekstrom picked up the save for Oregon State pitching two hitless innings.
Gold, Richardson and Blumberg each finished with two hits as Gold drove home four runs. Barden led Oregon State with a 4-for-4 day with 3 RBI.
