Final Score - Box score
OSU 11
NIU 3
The Beavers never trailed in the Surprise finale, and although the Huskies pulled to within 1, Oregon State answered with a 5-run 6th inning, putting the game out of reach.
The first inning set the tone for the rest of the game. The Beaver pitcher, Riley Wilkerson, breezed through the inning, while Tyler Smith, Michael Conforto, and Dylan Davis supplied the offense. Wilkerson went 4.1 innings, allowing 5 hits and 3 runs, striking out 4 while walking 1.
Smith, Conforto, and Davis went single, single, home run in the first inning, giving the Beavs a 3-0 lead. Davis went on to have an even better day than yesterday, going 4-4, collecting 9 total bases, scoring 3 times while driving in 4. On the series, he went 9-14 (.642), collecting 7 RBI's, scoring 6 runs, and earning 16 total bases. Without a doubt, he is your weekend MVP.
In the 3rd, Smith and Conforto hit a pair of singles once again. True freshman Conforto went 3-5, and scored 2 runs on Sunday. He didn't score in the 3rd, unfortunately, as he was picked off. However, with Smith on 3rd, Davis hit an infield single to extend the Beaver lead to 4-0.
Wilkerson's day ended in the 5th, after surrendering a single, RBI double, and another single, cutting the Oregon State lead to 4-1. New pitcher Scott Schultz couldn't slam the door closed, however, as the first batter he faced plated another run on a single. The next batter reached on catcher's interference, loading the bases, and Schultz walked in a run with 2 outs, cutting the Beaver lead to just 1.
After Schultz worked into some more trouble in the 6th, Matt Boyd came on to relieve him. Unlike Schultz, he did slam the door, striking out a Huskie batter to end the inning, stranding runners at 2nd and 3rd. Schultz went 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and walking 1, which was good enough to earn his first win of the year.
Conforto singled and Davis doubled to start off the bottom of the 6th inning, and Danny Hayes hit a groundball to 2nd base to plate Conforto and advance Davis. Ryan Dunn doubled home the true freshman Davis, and Kavin Keyes broke out of a recent slump with an RBI single. Suddenly, the Beaver lead was 7-3. Jake Rodriguez and Ryan Barnes were both hit, bringing Tyler Smith to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. He continued his hot streak with a single up the middle scored two more runs, giving the Beavs a comfortable 9-3 lead. On the weekend, the junior hit a modest (compared to Davis) .545, driving in 4 runs, including the go-ahead RBI's Saturday, and scored 4 times.
The Beavers added on in the 7th, which started with yet another Davis double, and another Hayes sacrifice groundout. Dunn's sacrifice fly scored Davis, and it looked like the scoring could have come to a close. But Kavin Keyes doubled, and J-Rod singled him home, and the Beavers were up by 8.
Ryan Gorton pitched for the Beavers in the 8th, and struck out 2 Huskies while giving up 2 singles. Matt Boyd's line looks like this: 1.1 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 3 strikeouts.
Beaver head coach Pat Casey showed some mercy in the bottom of the 8th, as he had Jordan Dunatov pinch hit for Dylan Davis with runners on 1st and 3rd. Nothing would come of the opportunity, as Ryan Dunn grounded out to end the inning.
Freshman Carlos Rodriguez came on in the 9th for the Beavers, and he ended the game easily, striking out the first man he faced, giving up an infield single, and inducing a 4-6-3 double play ball to end the game.
The Beavers play another 4-game series next weekend, this time participating in the Nike College Showcase in front of the home fans. Their Friday opponents are West Virginia on Friday (5:35 PM PST), the first game of a Saturday doubleheader is against Illinois (3:00 PM), and Saturday's nightcap is against the UCONN Huskies at 7:00 PM. Oregon State closes out the weekend on Sunday at 11:00 AM versus the Oklahoma Sooners.