Oregon State Baseball: Beavers Drop Game 2 against Gonzaga, Lose 5-2

After winning the first game in a blowout, the Beavers failed to find an offensive rhythm, dropping game 2 against Gonzaga 5-2. The Beavers managed 8 hits on the night, but struggled to convert them to runs; and while starter Jack Washburn performed well, the relief unit struggled. Jaren Hunter picked up his second loss of the season in relief, giving him an 0-2 record, while the Beavers fell to 21-7 overall.

Oregon State once again started scoring in the bottom of the first, with a bases loaded walk to Ryan Ober allowing Jake Dukart to take a stroll to home plate. That would be the last run the Beavers would see until the eighth.

In the meantime, it was all Bulldogs. The Beavers managed to hold Gonzaga scoreless until the fifth inning, That was when Gonzaga’s Grayson Sterling hit a solo homer to tie the game up. A double and a pair of walks then loaded the bases up for the Zags, and a fielder’s choice got Gonzaga one more run to give them the lead.

In the top of the sixth, Gonzaga added another three runs, on three separate singles. All came on two outs; the Beavers just couldn’t find that third out until Gonzaga established a sizable lead. The inning ended with Gonzaga up 5-1. The Beavers would add another run in the bottom of the eighth, when a Jacob Melton ground out scored Jake Dukart, but that would be all the offense they could muster.

Oregon State will now have a couple days off before they’re back on the diamond. They’ll begin a three game series at Oregon on Friday. In the earlier meetings, in Corvallis, the Ducks took the series 2-1. Those games didn’t count for conference play, but this weekend’s series will. All three games will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.