Cougars Thrown For 9-6 Loss In Opener

Heavily favored Southern California shook off the shock of Mike Kinkade’s fifth-inning grand slam Thursday night and came back to flatten Washington State 9-6 in the opening game of the Pacific-10 Conference baseball playoffs at Dedeaux Field.

The Trojans, ranked No. 3 in Baseball America’s Top 25, scored six runs in the top of the eighth inning to overcome a 6-3 deficit and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series that will determine the Pac10’s automatic qualifier for NCAA Regionals that begin next week.

Wes Rachels and Jacque Jones each stroked two-run doubles in USC’s decisive inning and Gabe Alvarez drove in the go-ahead run with a triple over the outstretched glove of Cougars center fielder Rob Ryan.

The win raises the overall record of South Division-champion USC to 40-18. WSU, which won its first North Division title since 1991, falls to 28-29 and slips within a game of seeing its regional hopes snuffed out.

The teams meet against tonight at 7, with WSU ace Kyle Kawabata (11-2) scheduled to throw against the Trojans’ Ben Tucker (5- 2). The game will be televised live on Prime Sports Northwest in the Spokane area.

So would Saturday’s 1 p.m. finale.

The Trojans roughed up WSU’s suspect bullpen Thursday after Cougars starter Robert Ramsay departed with a 6-3 lead and two runners on base in the eighth inning.

Eric Estes (1-5), who was nearly untouchable in an extended 10-strikeout relief appearance against Oregon State last weekend, brought nothing with him to this one and was saddled with the loss. The senior right-hander let both of the runners he inherited score on Rachels’ double and then allowed three more runs in the one-third of an inning he worked.

Freshman Todd Belitz didn’t fare much better, giving up two walks and Jones’ two-run double before giving way to Wayne Vezzetti.

First-year WSU coach Steve Farrington said he was disappointed in Estes’ performance, but indicated he will not hesitate to use him in relief again tonight if circumstances warrant.

“He’s thrown really well his last three outings,” Farrington said of Estes. “He’s the guy who has to get it done for us and he’s going to get another chance.

“He just started getting the ball up tonight and every hitter is a good hitter when the ball’s up.”

The failure of the Cougars’ bullpen made Kinkade’s bases-loaded home run in the fifth meaningless.

The senior catcher, who had never played on a championship team in college until this year, unleashed three seasons of frustration with one savage swing, driving a Randy Flores fastball over the wall in center field.

The blast capped a six-run uprising for the Cougars, who won a pregame coin flip for the right to be the home team.

Kinkade said he thought the home run, his eighth of the year, might be enough to put the Trojans away - especially with the way Ramsay was throwing.

The junior left-hander scattered six hits over the 7 2/3 innings he worked and struck out four.

“He pitched well enough to win,” Farrington said.

“Robert was pitching so well that I started counting the outs,” Kinkade admitted. “I didn’t think they would have another big inning.”

But the Trojans, who scored three runs with the help of two WSU throwing errors in the fourth, sent 12 batters to the plate in the eighth. That made a winner out of Jack Krawczyk (4-1), who took over for Flores in the seventh.

WSU missed several early scoring opportunities, including one in the third inning when the Trojans used the hidden-ball trick to pick Rob Ryan off second with two outs, two runners on and Kinkade at the plate.

“What really hurt about the hidden-ball trick was that they were going to have to pitch to (Kinkade),” Farrington said. “But we ended up not concentrating and got picked off. That was a big issue there.”

Kinkade’s home run was one of only six Cougars hits.

“It’s tough,” he explained. “We thought we had it when we were up by three with only four outs to get. But we’ll come back tomorrow. We’ll battle.”

“We’re not going to change anything we’ve been doing,” Farrington said. “We had chances to win tonight. If anything, we want to continue to force the issue.”

So. Cal 9, Washington State 6

USC 000 300 06x 9 11 3 WSU 000 060 000 6 6 2

Flores, Krawczyk (7) and Moeller, Brown (8). Ramsay, Estes (8), Belitz (8), Vezzetti (8) and Kinkade. W-Krawczyk (4-1). L-Estes (1-4). HRs-WSU, Kinkade (8). T-2:48. A-670.