Oregon State Baseball: Beavers Shut Down Minnesota in Game 1 Win

Oregon State looked exactly like a potential champion in Game 1 against Minnesota. A dominant performance on the mound, and a lot of early hitting, gave the Beavers an early cushion that the Golden Gophers didn’t get close to erasing.

Luke Heimlich pitched a near complete game, only leaving the mound before the final out, keeping the bullpen fresh for the rest of the series.

Heimlich finished the day with nine strikeouts, and seven hits. He only allowed one run, a solo home run in the eighth inning.

On the batters’ side of things, the offense got started early. After Steven Kwan and Cadyn Grenier ground out and struck out, respectively, Nick Madrigal reached the bases on a single. Trevor Larnach followed up Madrigal’s hit with an even bigger one, launching a home run deep into left field. Not to be outdone, Adley Rutschman followed up with a homer of his own giving the Beavers a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

The Beavers added one more run in the second, with a walk, a beaned batter, and two back to back bunts. In the fourth, back to back doubles from Jack Anderson and Zak Taylor, and a single from Steven Kwan, added two more runs. That gave Oregon State a 6-0 lead before the game was half over.

Finally, in the seventh, an Adley Rutschman double and a Michael Gretler triple added the final two runs of the game.

Rutschman was the standout hitter today, with 2 hits and 2 RBI, both of them monsters, but the team as a whole kept their bats hot after their success in the regionals. Trevor Larnach and Steven Kwan also had 2 hits, and Nick Madrigal, Jack Anderson and Zak Taylor each had 1.

Tomorrow, Bryce Fehmel should get the start, and if the Beavers can keep up the pace they’ve had all postseason, a trip to Omaha should be coming soon.