Game 1: Washington State 5, Oregon State 1 (Recap and box)
The Pac-10 is as even as it's been in years, but the Beavers are quickly falling into the bottom half of the standings.
The Beavers started off the year with a series win over USC, then won the opening game of their series with then-No.3 UCLA.
But since then, the Beavers have suffered six straight losses-- two in the series against UCLA, three last week against Stanford, and one yesterday in Pullman.
If the Beavers can't find a way to win this afternoon against the Cougars, they'll have lost three consecutive Pac-10 series.
The goal of any baseball coach is to win every series, and of course that goal is still intact this weekend. Two straight wins over the Cougars would give the Beavers two series wins. But for the Beavers, who haven't won since April 9, there is an even greater sense of urgency.
Following this weekend, the Beavers have six weeks left to put together their post-season resume. There's no question they're behind the pace set by OSU teams of years past, yet this team seems to have the talent needed to earn a post-season spot.
Last night, starter Greg Peavey went seven full innings and gave up five runs (three earned), but couldn't get the run support needed to win. Oregon State's only run came in the fifth inning, when Adalberto Santos doubled to score Michael Miller.
The first pitch of today's game will be thrown out at 2:00pm, and the game will be televised on FSN NW. Check in on it every now and then while you're watching the Blazers.
--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)