Baseball Edged By #10 Oregon State 7-5 :: Gaels Late Comeback Falls Short

Feb. 26, 2006

Davis, CA- After giving up five runs in the first, the Saint Mary's baseball team chipped away at the lead all game but were unable to catch the No. 10-ranked Oregon State Beavers, falling 7-5 Sunday morning from Dobbins Stadium. With the conclusion of the River City Classic, the Gaels fall to 6-6 on the year while the Beavers improve to 6-4.

The Gaels were unable to make up for a rough start. SMC allowed five runs on only three hits on two errors in the first. But the Gaels did make it a game by amassing four runs of their own in the sixth.

Eric Cattoni got the inning going with a leadoff walk and then advanced to second on a pass ball. After Orben Frederick advanced Cattoni to third on a groundout, Senior Sam Carter came through with an RBI single up the middle.

The Gaels kept it going when senior Delaney Gallagher ripped a single to right field. Freshman Joel Staples then loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Senior Mike Harris then cleared the bases for SMC when he nailed a single to the left side that drove in Carter and Gallagher. Staples was able to score on a throwing error by the third baseman.

SMC tacked on one more run in the seventh to pull within two. Frederick added the fifth and final run for the Gaels when he connected on a single through the right side that drove in senior Adam Hicks.

Offensively the Gaels were led by Harris who went 2-for-3 from the plate with two RBIs. The Beavers were paced by Shea McFeely and Cole Gillespie. McFeely batted a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs while Gillespie added a 3-for-5, one RBI performance.

On the hill, Ian Farmer (0-3) was tabbed with the loss after allowing two earned runs on eight hits in five innings. Michael Stutes earned the victory for OSU after allowing three earned runs and fanning a career high 10. Kevin Gunderson earned the save, allowing three hits and striking out three in three innings of relief.

Saint Mary's will return to action on Tuesday, February 28 to face the Pacific Tigers in Stockton. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Stockton Ball Park.