Oregon State Tops Miami, 8-1
June 20, 2006
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Mike Stutes allowed one run in six-plus innings and Oregon State scored four times in the third to take control and eliminate Miami 8-1 in the College World Series on Tuesday night.
Shea McFeely hit a long home run for Oregon State (46-15), which got its second win in seven CWS games and will play Rice on Wednesday night. The Beavers need to beat the Owls twice to advance to the championship series this weekend.
Stutes (8-2) cruised through his first six innings, and had his legs massaged by the team trainer in between trips to the mound to prevent cramping late in the game. He allowed one hit – a single by Eddy Rodriguez in the fifth – before tiring in the seventh.
The sophomore right-hander gave up a one-out homer to Dennis Raben that landed five rows from the top of the bleachers in right field to put Miami on the scoreboard. The Hurricanes (42-24), who routed Oregon State 11-1 on Saturday before falling to Rice 3-2 on Monday, avoided being shut out at the College World Series for the first time since a 4-0 loss to Arizona State on June 4, 1994.
After Raben’s homer, Stutes gave up consecutive singles to Yonder Alonso and pinch-hitter Gus Menendez before being replaced by Eddie Kunz. After handing the ball to coach Pat Casey, Stutes walked off the mound and received a standing ovation from the crowd behind the Beavers’ dugout and high-fives from his teammates.
Stutes allowed one run and four hits in 6 1-3 innings, struck out three and walked one.
He was helped by two dazzling defensive plays early. Jon Jay hit a liner with two outs in the first that tailed away from left fielder Cole Gillespie, but the speedy outfielder closed in on the ball, dived and made a sliding catch.
With two outs in the fourth, Danny Valencia lined a hard one-hopper that shortstop Darwin Barney knocked down, recovered and threw to first to get the runner.
Oregon State took charge in the third against Carlos Gutierrez (9-7). Scott Santschi hit a leadoff double, moved to third on Barney’s single and scored on a wild pitch that bounced away from Rodriguez behind the plate and rolled to the backstop.
John Wallace ended Gutierrez’s short night with a single that put runners on second and third. The right-hander allowed four runs and four hits in two innings.
It was Gutierrez’s first appearance for the Hurricanes since May 19, when he gave up five runs in 1 2-3 innings against Georgia Tech. He has been battling arm troubles and it was originally thought he needed Tommy John surgery before he was cleared to pitch in Omaha.
Gillespie greeted reliever Marcelo Albir with a double – his school-record 25th of the season – to make it 3-0. Bill Rowe drove in another run on a groundout to first. One out later, Mitch Canham singled to make it 5-0.
McFeely led off the fourth by jumping on an 0-1 pitch from sidearmer Jon McLean and sending the ball deep into the second section of seats in left field to give the Beavers a 6-0 lead.
Canham added an RBI double in the fifth. Tyler Graham’s RBI triple in the ninth made it 8-1.
Oregon State got its first run in the opening inning on Rowe’s sacrifice fly to left.
