The Beaver bats were out again in full force for the second day in a row, although the Beavers won in comeback fashion. Down 7-1 in the third, the Beavers scored sixteen runs to BYU's four in the final seven innings to beat BYU by the score of 17-7.
OSU's pitching and defense continued to struggle, as the Beavers had two errors for the second day in a row, and the pitching staff had a hard time finding it's rhythm.
Reed Brown got the start on the hill for the Beavers, his first of the season. He took care of the Cougars 1-2-3 in the first inning, but ran into some turbulence in the second. He retired the first BYU batter, Kent Walton, on strikes, but gave up base hits to the next four batters before the Beavers went to the bullpen for Bryce Mooney. Mooney also gave up four hits and allowed three runs. The Beavers went to the bullpen again, this time for Blake Keitzman. Blake retired the only batter he faced in the second, ending the inning.
At this point of the game, it seemed like everything was going down hill for the Beavers, but things slowly turned around. Down 7-1, the Beavers scored a run in the top of the third off of a Ryan Ortiz triple. BYU added two more runs in the bottom of the third, making the score 9-2, but Oregon State would begin a major push for a comeback win in the fourth.
John Tommasini and Joey Wong were both retired to start the fourth inning, but the top of the order started a two-out rally. Garrett Nash drew a walk and Chris Hopkins singled to left to put two on with two out for Jason Ogata. Ogata homered to center for his fourth of the season, a three run homer that brought the score to 5-9 in favor of BYU. A base hit by Daniel Robertson and a walk by Ryan Ortiz again put two on with two outs. Although Drew George didn't follow suit of Ogata and hit one over the fence, he did the next best thing with a triple to center that drove in two. Lonnie Lechelt was retired on strikes for the final out of the inning, but not before Oregon State inched closer, down only two runs.
In the top of the sixth, the Beavers again rallied with two outs. With Chris Hopkins and Jason Ogata already retired, Robertson and Ogata singled, then Drew George drew a walk. With the bases loaded and two out, Lonnie Lechelt tripled to center field, clearing the bases and giving Oregon State a 10-9 lead.
Each team scored a pair of runs in the eighth, making the score 13-11. Oregon State scored it's runs thanks to base hits by Ogata, Robertson, Ortiz, and George. BYU scored via two doubles off of OSU pitcher Mark Grbavac.
The Beaver offense sealed the game in the top of the ninth with another burst of offensive production. John Tommasini and Joey Wong both doubled to start the inning, when Tommasini scoring on Wong's double. Pinch hitter John Wallace and Chris Hopkins both singled in succession, with Hopkins' base hit driving in Wong. With two on and no outs, Jason Ogata reached on a fielder's choice. Hopkins made it safely to second and then advanced to third thanks to a muffed throw by BYU second baseman Brandon Relf. Wallace scored on the error, making the score 15-11 in favor of the Beavers. A sacrifice fly by Ryan Ortiz and a base knock by Jordan Lennerton drove in the final two runs of the game, making the final score 17-11.
Kevin Rhoderick, who came on in the eighth and finished out the game in the ninth, earned his sixth save of the season. He didn't do it in such dominating fashion as he had done in the past, however, as the freshman walked three BYU batters in the ninth. However, he closed out the game no problem with the help of a double play and a fly ball to center field.
It should also be noted that Taylor Starr pitched four scoreless innings in the middle of the game, giving the Beaver offense a chance to make their comeback effort.
That concludes the majority of Oregon State's non-conference schedule, as the Washington Huskies are in town this weekend for OSU's Pac-10 opener. Non-conference games with Portland, Gonzaga, Utah Valley, and Long Beach State still remain, but those games are scattered throughout the season.
GO BEAVERS!
--JB--