Trojans end Oregon State's 14-game home field win streak in a tempestuous series opener at Goss

By Brooks Hatch

Gazette-Times reporter

A Pacific-10 Conference baseball series that was bound to be competitive and emotional became contentious as well on Friday night as tempers flared during and after Southern California's 4-3 victory over No. 14 Oregon State at Goss Stadium.

USC right fielder Alex Sherrod animated a heretofore subdued crowd of 2,759 by taking several steps toward the mound in the fourth inning after OSU starter Tyler Waldron sailed a purpose pitch well over Sherrod's head on his first offering following Brandon Garcia's homer that gave the Trojans a 4-0 lead.

It was whipped into a frenzy when USC coach Chad Kreuter approached the OSU dugout from the third-base coaching box to jaw with OSU coach Pat Casey while the umpires defused the situation at home plate. The ill feelings carried over after the final out, when Kreuter and Casey, surrounded by several assistant coaches, argued face-to-face near home plate as the clubs left the field.

Casey would not comment on the confrontation afterward. Kreuter, however, had plenty to say after a sixth consecutive conference victory that propelled the Trojans (18-16, 8-5) into contention with the Beavers and Stanford for second place in the league behind Arizona State.

"One of their coaches was barking at me, I don't know for what reason," Kreuter said of the first argument. "(Sherrod) didn't do anything but come to the plate and have a ball thrown over his head. Barking at me, I don't care for that at all.

"A guy throws over (Sherrod's) head, I see that, it's part of the game. But it's definitely not necessary in a college baseball situation."

The debate continued several minutes after USC closer Brad Stock fanned Adalberto Santos to end the game with the tying run at third base.

Casey emphatically pointed his finger at Kreuter several times and they nearly bumped before each returned to his dugout area.

"It was me letting (Casey) know I didn't appreciate him cussing at me," Kreuter said. "He doesn't know me well enough to be cussing at me. Only my friends can do that."

And, oh yes, there was a game.

USC junior righthander Brad Boxberger - who two years ago stifled the Beavers on three hits over seven innings in a 4-1 victory - held them to seven hits and three runs over 71/3 innings in a repeat performance. He's now won more times in Corvallis than USC football coach Pete Carroll.

"It's always a big series between us and Oregon State," Boxberger said. "I'd read they were undefeated at home and it was big for us to come out here and get the first one," and end OSU's 14-game Goss Stadium winning streak.

"You come in here, no one really likes us because we're USC, and it's just fun to pitch at that. It's always fun to go other places that have big crowds that are into it and on you. It's always an upbeat game.

"Once the coaches started to get into it, it got all of the tempo up in the dugout, guys were up and into every pitch. With people yelling at each other and all that, it's going to be up-tempo the next two games and we'll see what happens."

The Beavers (22-8, 7-3) finally reached Boxberger for three runs in the seventh on Koa Kahalehoe's RBI double, a run-scoring, bases-loaded double play and Joey Wong's RBI single.

"I was just missing my spots with a couple pitches and it came back to bite me," Boxberger said.

Boxberger was lifted with one out in the eighth after Ryan Ortiz bounced a double off the fence just right of dead center, just missing a game-tying homer. Stock - Sunday's projected USC starter - tightroped to his fourth save even though he walked two, uncorked a wild pitch and threw just 16 strikes in an adventurous 33-pitch outing.

The Beavers had at least one baserunner in each of the final seven innings and left eight on altogether, four in scoring position.

"They came in here and beat our tails, that's all there is to it," Casey said. "We have not been a great offensive club. We've got to execute, just put the ball in play, and we just didn't get it done."

The series continues at 2 p.m. today. The probables are right-handers Andrew Triggs (3-1, 4.29) for the Trojans and Greg Peavey (3-2, 4.23) for the Beavers.

Sunday's finale has been moved up an hour to noon to accommodate USC's travel plans.

USC 4, Oregon State 3

USC 102 100 000 - 4 5 2

OREGON STATE 000 000 300 - 3 7 0

Boxberger, Cooper (8), Stock (8) and Stock, Rabago (8). Waldron, Osich (8) and Ortiz. WP: Boxberger (3-3). LP: Waldron (3-2). S: Stock (4). 2B: Green (USC), Ortiz 2 (OSU), Romero (OSU), Kahalehoe (OSU). HR: Garcia (USC)

Hits: USC 5 (Green 2, O'Neill, Oropesa, Garcia), OSU 7 (Ortiz 2, Wong, Norris, Romero, Wallace, Kahalehoe)

RBI: USC 4 (Oropesa, Vasquez, Stock, Garcia), OSU 2 (Wong, Kahalehoe)