Beavers’ Sweep Ejects Cougars From Penthouse

College baseball/softball

Washington State’s stay atop the standings lasted less than 24 hours.

Andrew Checketts (10-1) pitched a seven-hitter in the opener and Oregon State rallied with a four-run eighth inning in the second game as the Beavers swept the Cougars 12-2, 7-4 in a Pacific-10 Conference Northern Division doubleheader at Corvallis, Ore.

The sweep left the 24th-ranked Beavers (30-11-1, 13-6) tied with Washington for first place and sent the Cougars (22-19, 11-8) to third place, two games behind. WSU swept OSU Friday to forge a brief three-way tie for first.

Checketts, the conference leader in wins, struck out eight and walked one. Jason Stranberg went 2 for 3 and scored twice to support Checketts.

Dave Wheeler (2-3) took the first-game loss, walking eight and allowing seven earned runs in four-plus innings. The Cougars fell behind 7-0.

WSU trailed the second game 3-1 before rallying with a three-run seventh, topped by Scott Randall’s two-run triple.

Mike Boire (3-0) relieved Beavers starter Brody Percell and pitched one-hit ball for 1-2/3 innings. Matt Bailie’s two-run single highlighted OSU’s four-run eighth.

The Cougars’ Boyd Robertson was 3 for 4 in the second game.

Jamaal Gaines (2-4) starts for WSU today in the final game of the five-game series.

Preston McCrary’s two-run double in the eighth lifted San Francisco to a 7-5 win over visiting Gonzaga and a West Coast Conference sweep that gave the Dons (16-8 WCC) their school-record 32nd win.

USF trailed in the opener 4-0 but rallied with a six-run eighth to win 10-6. Troy Nakamura had the game-winning hit, a two-run single.

Travis Knight of the Zags (11-31, 6-18) homered in both games, including a three-run shot in the first inning of the opener. Bo Hart followed Knight’s three-run blast with his 11th homer.

Jason Francek’s two-out, two-run double to left in the seventh allowed Whitworth (12-21, 8-11) to rally past visiting Lewis & Clark 7-6 in the first game of a Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges sweep.

Francek and Tim Bishop hit two homers apiece, including back-to-back shots in the fifth, as the Pirates won the second game 18-6. Chad Ripke added a grand slam in the sixth, his 11th homer, for the Pirates.

Pat Kelly’s bases-clearing double in the fifth gave the Pioneers (14-18, 7-11) a 5-4 lead in the opener.

George Petticrew (7-1) pitched a complete-game shutout in the opener and Greg Matthews had the game-winning hits in both games as Community Colleges of Spokane swept visiting Wenatchee 1-0, 10-7.

The Sasquatch (19-9, 13-5) retained first place in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

Petticrew struck out six and walked none. Matthews’ single in the sixth ended the shutout, and the game’s final out came at home, when Mark McDaniel relayed Eric Garma’s throw from left field after a single.

In the second game, Matthews went 4 for 4 with two doubles; Adam Munson-Young tripled twice; Steve Jackson had three RBIs; and Aarin Hare pitched 3-1/3 shutout innings in relief for the win.

Softball

Ginger Ewing finished the day 6 for 7, and she scored twice in the second game as visiting Whitworth (10-25, 6-14) swept Willamette 4-3, 3-0 in a NCIC doubleheader at Salem, Ore.

Ewing went 4 for 4 in the opener, when the Pirates scored four in the seventh on a walk, four singles and an error. Katie Carpenter went 2 for 3 and earned the win, and first-game winner Traci Moore had an RBI double in the second game.

The Bearcats are 2-30, 1-17.

PAC-10 NORTH League Overall W L GB W L Wash. 13 6 27 13 Oregon St. 13 6 30 11 WSU 11 8 2 22 19 PSU 1 18 12 11 28

Saturday’s results Oregon St. 12-6, WSU 2-4 Wash. 6-14, Portland St. 3-3

Today’s games WSU at Oregon State Washington at Portland St.