Urrutia
Garrett Urrutia, left, picked up a decision in SOU's 37-3 win over Pacific on Saturday.

No. 7 SOU caps regular season with 37-3 win against Pacific

2/15/2014 9:25:00 PM

ASHLAND – Four seniors who got their chance in Southern Oregon University's final dual did more than provide energy Saturday at Bob Riehm Arena.

Three of them, none of whom are regulars in the lineup, came through with wins to spark the seventh-ranked Raiders' 37-3 trouncing of Pacific University. The Raiders completed the regular season with an 8-3 record and can look forward to next Saturday's NAIA Western Region Qualifier in Atherton, Calif.

Woong Kim (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kalani) (141 pounds) picked up his first dual win of the season, Craig Trask (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon) (157) registered a first-round fall and Tucker Van Matre (Kodiak, Alaska/Kodiak) (184) upset Caleb Malychewski, who started the night with a 25-4 record. SOU claimed the first nine classes of the night, and the fourth senior, heavyweight Michael Calderon (Monterey, Calif./Monterey), tied up the last with a last-second takedown but lost on riding time.

"To have (the seniors) perform as well as they did made it a lot of fun," 19th-year SOU coach Mike Ritchey said. "I think that last chance to shine at home gave them a little extra spark against some of Pacific's better wrestlers, and that definitely got the rest of us fired up."

Redshirt-freshman Ian Rogers (Tigard, Ore./Tigard) was a late addition to the lineup and got SOU started with a 9-4 decision over Lucas Beltz at 125 pounds. Trevor Hancock (Pendleton, Ore./Pendleton) (133) followed with a first-round pin and upset of Eric Harder, dropping his record to 25-7.

Kim was next with a 9-7 defeat of Jeremiah Baker, ninth-ranked Tyler Cowger (Sweet Home, Ore./Sweet Home) (149) scored bonus points with a major decision to deny Ryan Baxter his 20th win of the season, and Trask finished off Carson French in 51 seconds. Garrett Urrutia (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon) had a takedown and an escape in the last 80 seconds to win the 165-pound match, 3-2 against Bruce Balcita, and top-ranked Brock Gutches (Central Point, Ore./Crater) upped his record to 26-3 by pinning Michael Tyner 2:24 into their 174-pound matchup.

Van Matre's 12-6 decision, which included a near fall at the tail end, and second-ranked Taylor Johnson (Redmond, Ore./Redmond)'s 7-0 shutout of Chris Harlin at 197 pounds gave the Raiders their final points of the night.

Johnson improved to 14-5, Cowger to 19-8, Hancock to 10-9 and Urrutia to 12-10.

"I liked our aggressiveness tonight and how we wrestled smart in close matches," Ritchey said. "That's what we have to do to be successful in the postseason. Now we start playing for real."

SOU has won 23 of its last 24 meetings with Pacific.

SOU 37, PACIFIC 3
125 – Ian Rogers (Tigard, Ore./Tigard), SOU, dec. Lucas Beltz, PU, 9-4.
133 – Trevor Hancock (Pendleton, Ore./Pendleton), SOU, p. Eric Harder, PU, 2:24.
141 – Woong Kim (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kalani), SOU, dec. Jeremiah Baker, PU, 9-7.
149 – Tyler Cowger (Sweet Home, Ore./Sweet Home), SOU, major dec. Ryan Baxter, PU, 9-0.
157 – Craig Trask (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon), SOU, p. Carson French, PU, 0:51.
165 – Garrett Urrutia (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon), SOU, dec. Bruce Balcita, PU, 3-2.
174 – Brock Gutches (Central Point, Ore./Crater), SOU, p. Michael Tyner, PU, 2:26.
184 – Tucker Van Matre (Kodiak, Alaska/Kodiak), SOU, dec. Caleb Malychewski, PU, 12-6.
197 – Taylor Johnson (Redmond, Ore./Redmond), SOU, dec. Chris Harlin, PU, 7-0.
285 – Jacob Richards, PU, dec. Michael Calderon (Monterey, Calif./Monterey), SOU, 8-7.

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