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Flashback - June 3, 2006 - Baylor 3 No. 16 Arizona State 2
June 5, 2007 Written by Luke Blount
Baylor pitcher Ryan LaMotta made his school-record tying 111th appearance a memorable one as the Bears defeated 16th-ranked Arizona State 3-2 in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Houston Regional. The game was suspended the night before in the top of the second due to rain. Coach Steve Smith decided to relieve starter Cory VanAllen with Lamotta when play resumed. "I didn't (decide to start LaMotta) until I got to the ballpark today," said Smith. "I had mixed emotions about it...I just thought it would be unreasonable to expect (VanAllen) to come out as sharp as he did yesterday...Today was Ryan's day; he was ready to go, and I just felt like that was what we should do." LaMotta scattered eight hits over the final eight frames while striking out eight and walking only one. His lone earned run came in the bottom of the fourth inning on Brett Wallace's solo homer. "The key for us was the job that Ryan did," said Smith "It's a heck of a game to throw to not get credit for a complete game. It was a champion effort on his part." Baylor led 3-1 when the bottom of the ninth began, but ASU quickly loaded the bases with one out. With LaMotta seemingly struggling, coach Smith headed to the mound, but was emphatically waved off by LaMotta. "(Waving off Smith) was a bit of a subconscious decision, not a voluntary thought," said LaMotta. "I had so much invested in that game - so much emotion...I had been out there for so long, I just felt like it was my game." Smith returned to the dugout and LaMotta finished the job, giving up a sacrifice fly to center by Ryan Sontag and striking out Willy Fox to end the game. "It didn't really come as a big surprise," said Smith about being waved off. "I haven't ever had anybody look at me quite like that before. I didn't want to put him into a position where he could take the loss. Obviously he didn't care about that. He wanted to win the game."
Zach Dillon knocked a two-run double in the second inning to give Baylor its first lead, and Matt Sodolak followed a Beamer Weems double with a double of his own to make it 3-0 in the third. The Bears would go on to lose to Rice in the Houston regional final, 7-4, ending their season 37-26. The 2006 season marked Baylor's fifth consecutive regional appearance and eighth in nine years. Five Baylor student-athletes were selected in the 2006 Major league Baseball First-Year Player Draft. LHP Cory VanAllen, OF Seth Fortenberry, C Zach Dillon, 2B Kevin Russo, and RHP Ryan LaMotta all were drafted. |
