Final Score: Oregon State 7, Washington 4
The wins may not be pretty, but the Beavers are doing exactly what they needed to do after losing eleven of twelve game from early April into May.
The Beavers have now won five straight Pac-10 games, a feat that has been difficult for any team to do in the Pac-10 this season.
Tyler Smith's 2 RBI double in the second inning gave the Beavers an early lead for the second day in a row, and Rob Folsom expanded on the lead with a 2-run home run in the third inning.
Back to back doubles by Adalberto Santos and Dylan Jones in the fourth inning produced three more runs for Oregon State, putting them on top 7-0 after four full innings of play.
The Washington comeback began in the fifth inning, when the Huskies got two consecutive doubles of their own. Pierce Rankin scored on Caleb Brown's double to right center, cutting the Beavers lead to six.
Two more runs would score in the seventh inning for the Huskies, but Washington failed to get enough clutch hits for the second day in a row. Washington left 14 men on base in the series opener and another 15 in Saturday's game-- an inordinate amount.
Keeping with the current trend, the Beavers would allow Washington to load the bases in the top of the ninth inning, jeopardizing the four run lead. Matt Boyd, who entered the game and got the Beavers out of a jam in the seventh inning, struggled in the ninth, walking and hitting a batter. But Tyler Waldron was summoned from the bullpen with the bases loaded and one out, and struck out two Husky batters to end the game.
Rob Folsom and Stefen Romero each went 2-for-4 in the game for Oregon State, who moved to 9-11 in Pac-10 play with the win.
The Beavers will look to sweep the series today in the finale, with sophomore Sam Gaviglio on the mound. The game begins at 1:00 p.m. at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.
--Jake | (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)