Ryan Gorton pinch hits against Portland reliever Keeler Brynteson to leadoff the 8th Inning
What I Saw At Joe Etzel Field
Coming into Tuesday, I dreamed of a game between two in-state rivals that went 20 innings and had a packed house at Joe Etzel Field on the edge of their seats for every pitch. Instead, Portland starter Brent Miller hit the first batter he faced and walked the next three, and by the time the Top of the 1st was over, Oregon State had a 4-0 lead. That meant that the game was all but over, but hey, Oregon State was ahead, so I can't complain.
LINESCORE:
Oregon State – 430 003 001 – 11 7 2
Portland – 000 000 100 – 1 5 2
WP: James Nygren (4-1)
LP: Brent Miller (3-2)
Top Hitters
Oregon State:
- Parker Berberet, 4 RBI
- Danny Hayes, 2 RBI
- Jared Norris, 2 RBI
Portland:
- Sam Westendorf, RBI
Records:
- Oregon State: 21-7
- Portland: 10-15
In a Nutshell:
After going ahead 4-0 in the first, Parker Berberet left no doubt about the outcome in the second frame. On a 3-2 count with two Beavers on the bases, Berberet jumped on a pitch and lifted it to left field. At first glance, it didn't look like the ball would get over the fence, but sure enough it did to give Oregon State a 7-0 lead.
For the next three innings, the scoring quieted down, but the Beavers got rolling once again in the sixth. Danny Hayes started the scoring with a 2 RBI Double, and Jared Norris capped the inning with an RBI Single to give Oregon State a 10-0 lead. The Pilots scored their only run in the bottom half of the seventh, much to the delight of the small gathering of Portland fans.
After a 1 Out Kramer Scott double for the Pilots, Scott moved to 3rd on a Sacrifice Groundout. Scott then crossed the plate on a Sam Westendorf single to left field to give Portland thier first, and only, run of the game.
More notes after the break
Random Bullets:
- Joe Etzel Field could very well be the smallest College Baseball stadium ever. It seats 1,000 fans and looked even smaller with only 625 people on hand for the game.
- Nygren is good. James dominated the entire game and never got into too much trouble. The Beavers have three mid-week games remaining this season, and I like our chances to win all of them with him on the mound.
- The Portland relievers have the oddest warm-up music ever known to man. I don't know if the players pick it out or if someone else does, but it has to change. J.R. Bunda, who also reps a 9.75 ERA, warmed up to this classic (Don't worry, It's not Friday), and Keeler Brynteson warmed up to this song.
Overall, this was a solid win for the Beavers. It's important to win these types of games, especially against teams like Portland. The Pilots aren't great, but they certainly aren't bad either. They already have wins over Oregon and Hawaii (Twice) to their credit.
Now it's time to prepare for Arizona State. The series begins at 5:35 PM on Friday night in Corvallis. It should be fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!