There will not be an aloha sweep.
The Oregon State baseball team suffered a 5-0 defeat to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium, dropping its first game in a four-game trip to Honolulu.
Cooper Walls (3-3) and two Hawaii relievers had their way with the Beavers’ lineup, handing OSU its second shutout of the season while holding it to just three hits, tied for its fewest of the season.
After opening the series with an offensive eruption that featured 11 runs and 15 hits, Oregon State’s bats have gone ice cold in the Hawaiian heat. Canon Reeder hit a double in the fifth inning, Trent Caraway smacked a single in the fifth inning and AJ Singer added a double in the ninth inning. Beyond that, it was a no-show by the Beavers’ offense, which has produced just three runs and seven hits over the last two games.
Wilson Weber saved a win Saturday with a three-run home run, but no one could rescue the offense on Sunday. Hawaii’s staff faced the minimum in five of nine innings and allowed just four OSU baserunners to reach scoring position.
The Beavers put runners on first and third with two outs in the fifth … but Easton Talt hit an inning-ending grounder to third. They had runners on second and third with one out in the sixth … but AJ Singer struck out swinging and Jacob Krieg flied out to center to end the threat. And they put runners on first and second with one out in the ninth … but Carson McEntire flied out to right and Dallas Macias grounded out to first to end any hope of a rally.
It was that kind of day.
Meanwhile, Hawaii scored all of its runs in the first five innings, using a Konnor Palmeira solo homer, a Matthew Miura two-run single and a Jared Quandt RBI single to build a five-run cushion.
Ethan Kleinschmit (6-3) had his shortest outing of the season, lasting just three innings, during which he allowed three hits, three walks and four runs. The 6-foot-3 sophomore was pulled in the fourth inning after surrendering a leadoff single and a four-pitch walk and now — after opening the season with wins in six of his first 10 starts — he has suffered back-to-back defeats.
The Beavers, who won the first two games of the series, now need a win in Monday’s finale to earn a series victory.
Next up: The Beavers and Rainbow Warriors finish their four-game series Monday in Honolulu. First pitch is scheduled for 9:35 p.m.
— Joe Freeman | [email protected] | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | @freemanjoe.bsky.social | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.