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#1 Oregon State (41-18) vs #1 Vanderbilt (51-10) - 6:00 PM (PDT) - Hawkins Field, Nashville, TN - 1240 KEJO/860 KPAM/Kpam.com - ESPN2
Oregon State and Vanderbilt meet at 6:00 PM west coast time tonight in Game 2 of the Nashville Super Regional, in the last game of the day. Vanderbilt already leads the best of three series at 1-0 after last night's 11-1 thrashing of the Beavers. Oregon State must win tonight in order to force a winner-take-all game tomorrow.
Oregon State comes into tonight's game with a record of 41-18. The Beavers have good wins against Connecticut, Arizona (2), Arizona State (3), Stanford (3), UCLA (2), California (2), Arkansas-Little Rock, Creighton, and Georgia. Oregon State has other solid victories against Gonzaga (2), Oregon, and Long Beach State (2).
The Beavers are currently on a one game losing streak after last night's loss. The Commodores jumped on the Beavers from the outset, blistering Beaver starter Sam Gaviglio for four runs in the first inning to put the game out of reach early. The Commodores would play pile on after that, scoring another four runs in the fourth inning, one run in the fifth, and two more runs in the sixth.
The Beavers are one of ten one seeds to play in the Super Regionals.
The Commodores come into the game with a record of 51-10. The Commodores are currently on a four game winning streak after defeating Belmont (Twice) and Troy in the Nashville Regional, and of course, the Beavers last night.
In last Friday's 10-0 thrashing of the Belmont Bruins, Vanderbilt starter Sonny Gray went 6 innings, giving up 0 runs on 3 hits. In the Saturday game against Troy, the Commodores cruised to another win, this one by a 10-2 count. Aaron Westlake led Vandy at the plate with 3 RBI's in the win.
In the regional championship against Belmont, Commodore starter Taylor Hill got the job done, going 8 innings and giving up Belmont's only run of the day. Hill got help from his teammates at the plate, as Vanderbilt knocked in six runs to cruise to another easy victory.
Last night against the Beavers, Mike Yastrzemski led Vanderbilt with 4 RBI's. Sonny Gray (12-3) got the win for the Commodores after throwing 6.2 innings of one-run baseball.
Both team's have yet to name their starters for the game. In Oregon State's last Saturday game, Sam Gaviglio (12-3, 2.54) got the nod for the Beavers, but he won't be taking the hill tonight since he started yesterday's game for the Beavers.
Oregon St. will make an afternoon choice amongst 4 freshmen, Scott Schultz, Ben Wetzler, Adam Duke, and Cole Bayliss, and probably utilize more than one of them in the win or go home situation.
In Vanderbilt's last Saturday game, Grayson Garvin (13-1, 2.37) started for the Commodores, and is scheduled to go again tonight.
There is immediate precedent for hope for Beaver Nation, though, and it came earlier today in Gainsville. Mississippi St. also lost Friday by an 11-1 count, but was able to bounce back, and beat Florida with 4-3 win on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Temperatures will be in the 80s approaching game time, which is 8:00 PM locally in Nashville, with only a slow decline during the evening.
Go Beavers!