Oregon State Takes Game 3 Against Grand Canyon, 9-2

The Beavers took down the Grand Canyon University Antelopes for the third game in a row, with a blowout 9-2 victory. After a low scoring pair of games to open the series, and the Beaver bats came alive Saturday afternoon to give OSU a big win. Oregon State improves to 6-1 this season.

As in the previous two games, the game was low scoring for the first few innings. The Beavers got into the bad habit of leaving people stranded on the bases, until in the top of the sixth things finally came together. Kyler McMahan extended his hit streak to 14 games with a single, and then Andy Armstrong doubled to put both runners in scoring position. Matthew Gretler was then walked to load the bases with no outs.

After that, Grand Canyon pitcher Keaton Glover got two quick strikeouts, and it looked like the Beavers would again leave their runners stranded. Preston Jones then battled hard in the next at bat, and manage a walk to give Oregon State their first run. A wild pitch then advanced all runners and added a second run. Ryan Ober walked to load the bases again, and Joe Casey was hit by a pitch for a third straight run without a hit. Troy Claunch then decided he was done with those shenanigans, and belted a single to center to score two more. The Beavers led 5-0 after the sixth.

The Antelopes began to mount a comeback in the bottom of the eighth. Reliever Jaren Hunter allowed four straight hits, the final of which, from Elijah Buries, scored two runs. Chase Watkins then replaced Hunter, and managed to get the final two outs needed to get the Beavers out of more trouble. Oregon State led 5-2 headed into the final inning.

The Beavers would get some insurance, with a Kyler McMahan double leading things off, and an Andy Armstrong double bringing McMahan home. Armstrong reached third on a fly out, and then reached home on a fielder’s choice. Later in the inning a Ryan Ober single scored Kyle Dernedde, and a Joe Casey double scored Preston Jones. Grand Canyon made some noise in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn’t get anybody home, giving the Beavers a 9-2 win.

Jake Pfennigs got the start, and the win, pitching for 6.0 innings. He allowed just 2 hits, and no runs, with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks. It’s Pfennigs first win of the season.

The final game in the series is set for tomorrow morning, with the first pitch scheduled for 11 AM PT. Will Frisch is expected to get the start for Oregon State. The game will be streamed on Grand Canyon University’s youtube channel.