Coming off their first ever win in Safeco Field last night, the Beavers will travel over to Husky Ballpark on the campus of the University of Washington to play the Huskies in Game 2 of the series.
The Beavers built a comfortable 6-0 lead in last night’s game before letting the Huskies back into the game with a plothera of freebies in the eighth inning. James Nygren walked two batters and hit another before giving way to Mark Grbavac in the eighth inning. Grbavac struggled to find the strike zone, walking two straight batters himself. Kraig Sitton was then summoned out of the bullpen, and recorded a strikeout before giving up a 2-RBI base hit that cut Oregon State’s lead to two. Kevin Rhoderick would come in to earn the save, limiting the Huskies damage.
The Beavers moved into sole possession of second place in the Pac-10 with the win over Washington. UCLA lost to California, allowing the Beavers to leapfrog the Bruins in the standings. Two games remain in each series, so the Pac-10 standings could continue to fluctuate this weekend.
Greg Peavey goes to the mound today for the Beavers, and will square off with Jason Erickson of the Huskies. Erickson was named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week last week for his performance against USC, and has been Washington’s most consistent starter so far this season. Erickson has thrown two consecutive shutouts, dating back to his performance on April 25 against Oregon.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 at Husky Ballpark.
--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)