Beavers Sweep Huskers in Double Header

After rain postponed yesterday’s series opener against Nebraska, things finally got underway today. Despite the weather causing a few more delays, the Beavers managed to play two full games of baseball, and emerged victorious in both of them. Oregon State remains undefeated, 6-0.

In Game 1, things started slow, with no scoring in the first three innings. In the fourth, Alex McGarry doubled to open the inning, and then Beau Philip brought him home with a single. That got scoring started, and then the Beavers began to pour it on.

In the fifth, Preston Jones scored Kyler McMahan. Following that Alex McGarry reached base on a walk, and Adley Rutschmann brought home Jones and McGarry with a home run to left field. The Beavers led 5-0 after 5.

The Huskers added a couple runs in the sixth, but the Beavers got those runs back in the seventh. An error on a Tyler Malone grounder brought home Preston Jones. Then, with the bases loaded, Andy Armstrong was hit by a pitch, bringing in a run.

An Alex McGarry single brought Joe Casey home for the final run of the game, giving the Beavers an 8-2 win. McGarry had another impressive game, with 3 hits (including a double), 1 RBI, and a walk. Rutschmann only had the one hit, but it was a big one, good for 3 RBI. He also walked once and struck out once.

Kevin Abel got his first win of the season, He racked up a lot of Ks today, striking out 10. He allowed 2 hits and 2 runs, and walked one, for an ERA of 4.6. In relief, Dylan Pierce pitched for 1.2 innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits, striking out three batters and walking one.

Christian Chamberlain closed the game, pitching the last two innings and allowing no hits or runs. He struck out 4 batters and had no walks.

The second game was a closer affair. In the second, Troy Claunch launched a solo homer to get the Beavers on the board first. An Alex McGarry single added two more, scoring Andy Armstrong and Elliot Willy.

Unfortunatley, the Huskers tied things up in the third, with Bryce Fehmel giving up 4 hits and 3 runs. He clamped down for the next few innings, allowing no more hits while he was on the mound. Nebraska’s pitching matched that, and the game was scoreless for the next four innings.

Finally, in the bottom of the eight, Adley Rutschmann broke the stasis, with a solo center field home run. A couple batters later, a Greg Fuchs single brought in Beau Philip, giving the Beavers a 2 run lead. That was all they needed, as the Huskers couldn’t managed ninth inning comeback. The Beavers won 5-2.

Alex McGarry had his second multi-hit game of the day, with 2 hits and 2 RBI for a .632 average. Adley Rutschman of course had his second home of the day. Thats two hits and 2 home runs this Friday.

On the mound, Fehmel had a great game despite his trouble in the third. He also struck out 10, allowed 7 hits and 3 runs over 6 innings for a 2.57 ERA. In relief, Jake Pfennigs pitched for 1.0 inning, allowing one hit. Brandon Eisert also pitched one inning, and got the win. He allowed no hits or walks. Jake Harvey closed things up, pitching for 1 inning and allowing 1 hit.

The Beavers and Huskers will play two more over the weekend. Weather permitting, things will get started tomorrow at 4:00 PM PT. Then on Sunday, they’ll have an early 8:00 AM game.