April 14, 2006
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Corvallis, Ore. - No. 11 Oregon State (24-9, 5-3 Pac-10) blanked Stanford (15-13, 2-6 Pac-10) for the second straight game with a 1-0 victory over the Cardinal at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field on Friday. Dallas Buck (7-0) earned the victory with 8.1 innings of four-hit work and retired 17 consecutive batters at one point, while Kevin Gunderson got a game-ending double play to notch his ninth save of the season and his second in the series. Oregon State scored the only run of the contest when Cole Gillespie trotted home on reliever Nolan Gallagher's second balk of the seventh inning.
Stanford threatened in the ninth when Michael Taylor drew a four-pitch walk from Buck and John Hester followed with a ground ball single through the left side of the infield to put runners on first and third with just one out. Gunderson then relieved Buck and threw two balls before inducing pinch-hitter Ryan Seawell into the game-ending double play on a 2-0 count.
Gillespie started the Beavers' seventh inning rally with a leadoff single up the middle that ended Bleich's outing. Shea McFeely then bunted him to second before the first of Gallagher's two balks moved him to third. Gallagher walked Bill Rowe to put runners on first and third before being called for a balk on a fake pickoff move to third. Stanford head coach Mark Marquess came out of the dugout to dispute the call to no avail.
Stanford left runners in scoring position in both the first and third innings against Buck before he retired 17 in a row between Taylor's two-out infield single in the third and his one-out walk in the ninth. The Cardinal left runners on first and second base in the first and had the bases loaded in the third with just one out before Buck induced Hester into an inning-ending double play.
Oregon State had only one runner in scoring position besides the seventh when Darwin Barney tripled off the glove of a diving Cardinal leftfielder Joey August with two outs in the bottom of the first.
Jeremy Bleich (2-2) took the loss in his first collegiate start for the Cardinal despite being charged with just one run and allowing only three hits in a career-high 6.0 innings of work, striking out four and walking two. Gallagher did not give up a hit and was not charged with a run in his 2.0 frames but did walk two in addition to his two balks, while striking out three.
Buck struck out four and walked two.
Gillespie (2-3) had two of Oregon State's three hits and was the only player for either team with a multiple-hit contest.
Chris Minaker and Jim Rapoport both doubled for the Cardinal, while Rapoport was robbed of another potential extra-base hit on an incredible leaping and diving catch by Beaver rightfielder Scott Santschi with two outs in the top of the eighth.
The teams are scheduled to conclude the three-game series on Saturday (12 pm, PT). Oregon State has announced righthander Jonah Nickerson (5-3, 2.47) as its probable starting pitcher, while Stanford has yet to name a likely starter.