May 9, 1998

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State used a season-high 20 hits and the pitching of Brody Percell to beat UCLA 19-5 in non-league baseball Saturday afternoon during the Beaver Baseball Homecoming at Coleman Field. The Beavers (34-14-1 overall, 15-9 Pacific-10 Northern Division) used homers from Rob Colley and Troy Schader to build an early lead, then cut off a rally by the Bruins (24-32, 11-19 Pacific-10 Southern Division) by turning a triple play in the fifth inning. OSU got at least one hit from every starter as it improved its chances for earning an at-large berth in the 48-team NCAA regionals. Oregon State and UCLA conclude both the series and their regular season schedules with a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.

"We've just got to play Sunday, take it one game at a time like we have all year, try to pick up another win and go from there," OSU head coach Pat Casey said.

Percell, coming off an rough outing at Washington a week ago, went eight innings against the Bruins. He allowed just two runs - only one earned - on four hits while walking four and striking out eight. "Brody pitched really well," Casey said. "And we needed that, because our bullpen has been shaky lately."

Just as in Percell's start at Washington last week, the Beavers committed an error to allow the first opposing hitter of the game to reach base. That spelled the beginning of the end for Percell in Seattle, but against the Bruins he settled down even though UCLA turned the error into an unearned run and a 1-0 lead. "With Washington, they've got so many weapons," Percell said. "They're fast and they steal more bases. This team (UCLA), I don't know that well, so I could just pitch my game and it didn't bother me as much." The Beavers immediately took a lead of their own when Jason Stranberg led off the bottom of the first with a walk, then Rob Colley followed with a homer to left field to make it 2-1.

"That helps a lot," Percell said. "Knowing that you've got a lead and you're trying to hold it, instead of pitching to keep your team in it."

OSU made it 5-0 with three more runs in the bottom of the second, keyed by Schader's two-run homer to left-center field, then upped the score to 8-2 in the bottom of the third. It was the second straight day Schader homered, and he's now 5-for-11 with eight RBIs and two homers in the series.

UCLA threatened to get back in the game in the fifth inning, though, when Bill Scott singled and Cassidy Olson walked to put runners at first and second with none out. That's when Jason Green hit a sharp grounder to Beaver third baesman Ryan Lipe. Lipe took a step or two to his right and touched the bag for one out, then wheeled and threw low to second baseman Brian Duerr. Duerr plucked the ball And kept his foot on the base for the second out, then spun and threw to first baseman Matt Bailie. This throw was low as well, but Bailie dug it out to complete the triple play.

"That'll kill any rally," Duerr said. "It happened so fast, you just do what you normally do ... when Lipe went to third, I thought, We've got a shot for three.' You just try to turn it as fast as you can." It was Oregon State's first triple play in over five years, and the last one also came in the fifth inning. That was on Feb. 27, 1993, during an 8-6 win at Cal State-Sacramento.

OSU kept building its lead until it reached 13-2 after six innings, then things heated up in the top of the eighth. With two out and none out, Percell plunked Bruin slugger Eric Valent for the second time on the day; the two exchanged words as Valent headed for first base, and soon UCLA's bench was edging toward the first-base line. It was the fourth time in two days Valent had been hit as the Beavers tried to pitch him inside.

"We'd been working him with sliders away, then fastballs in," Percell said. "A couple of them got away and unfortunately hit him. I can understand him being upset because he'd been hit four times; our staff has been trying to pitch him up and in, because we've heard he hits low and away. But we haven't been trying to hit him."

When the hollering back and forth subsided, Percell got out of the inning and the Beavers went back to work with the bats, scoring six times in the bottom of the eighth. Schader again had the big hit, a two-run double to right-center, and the Bruins committed two errors in the inning.

Besides Schader, Beavers with three-hit days were Colley, Bertrand and Lipe; Colley drove in three runs and Jason Stranberg two. For UCLA, Eric Byrnes homered and drove in two runs and Olson was 2-for-3.

OREGON STATE 19, UCLA 5
UCLA		101 000 003 -  5  8 3
Oregon State	233 023 06x - 19 20 1

Diza, Thielemann (2), Cislak (3), Pinto (6), Reightley (8) and Green, Johnson (7). Percell, Rankin (9) and Bertrand, Bowring (9).

WP-Percell (5-4). LP-Diaz (2-5). 2B-Valent (UCLA), Nista (UCLA), Lipe (OSU), Schader (OSU), Duerr (OSU). 3B-Johnson (UCLA).

HR-Byrnes (UCLA), Colley (OSU), Schader (OSU).

HITS: UCLA 8 (Byrnes 2-4, Valent 1-2, Scott 1-4, Olson 2-3, Johnson 1-1, Nista 1-4), Oregon State 20 (Stranberg 2-4, Colley 3-5, Bertrand 3-5, Gerber 1-4, Hedges 2-4, Lipe 3-6, Schader 3-6, Duerr 1-4, Bailie 2-3).

RUNS BATTED IN: UCLA 5 (Byrnes 2, Valent 1, Johnson 1, Nista 1), Oregon State 17 (Stranberg 2, Colley 3, Bertrand 1, Gerber 1, Hedges 1, Lipe 1, Schader 5, Duerr 1, Bailie 2). T-3:20. A-827.