CORVALLIS — The Oregon State baseball team on Tuesday achieved a May first — it won a home game.
The seventh-ranked Beavers defeated the Portland Pilots 5-3 in a midweek matchup at Goss Stadium, earning its sixth win in the last eight games.
It was the first home game since April 22 for the Beavers, who had played 18 of its last 21 away from Corvallis.
Walking to a win: After six low-scoring, see-saw innings, the Beavers finally took control in the seventh. But it didn’t come with a round of fireworks or a memorable home run.
It came via a pair of free passes.
Wilson Weber, hours after earning a national player of the week award, started the rally with a one-out triple off the left field wall, prompting the Pilots to bring the infield in. The move backfired when AJ Singer ripped a 2-1 pitch to shortstop and the ball rocketed off Spencer Scotts, sending Singer to first with an infield single. Then, after a Levi Jones strikeout, the Beavers walked their way to a win.
Canon Reeder drew a full-count walk to load the bases and Tyce Peterson followed with an eight-pitch walk, delivering the go-ahead run and a 4-3 lead. Three pitches later, Pilots reliever Kaden Starr hit Dallas Macias in the back with a 2-0 fastball, extending Oregon State’s advantage to two runs.
A DeCremer first: Oregon State right-hander James DeCremer made his first career start Friday, and save for one shaky inning, the redshirt freshman pitched well. He had an overpowering start, retiring the side in order on just seven pitches — all strikes — before he ran into trouble in the top of the second.
Pilots cleanup hitter Zach Toglia led off the inning with a towering home run, blasting a 2-1 pitch into the parking lot over the bullpen, and it was like a row of dominoes had been toppled. Cole Katayama-Stall followed with a line drive single. Riley McCarthy ripped a double down the third base line. And when Henry Muench’s pop-up ate up OSU third baseman Trent Caraway and crashed to the infield turf, the Pilots suddenly had the bases loaded with no outs. But DeCremer was unfazed.
He escaped the jam on just six pitches, wrapping a pair of fly outs to center field around a strikeout, to avoid further damage. And he went on to pitch four solid innings, striking out four and allowing one run, in 54 pitches, the second-most he’s thrown in any game this season.
Go-ahead fifth inning: The Beavers and Pilots were deadlocked in a 1-1 tie heading into the bottom of the fifth, when the Beavers used a barrage of walks and a pair of clutch hits to take the lead. Caraway opened the inning with a leadoff walk and, after Aiva Arquette hit into a fielders’ choice, Gavin Turley walked and Weber was plunked, loading the bases with one out. OSU’s middle-of-the-order stalwarts made the free passes count. Singer and Reeder followed with back-to-back run-scoring singles, giving the Beavers a 3-1 edge. It didn’t last — Portland catcher Riley McCarthy hammered a two-run single up the middle in the top of the sixth to tie the game 3-3 — but the Beavers ended three inning scoreless drought.
Solid Singer: On a night the Beavers sprayed NINE hits, including SEVEN singles, Singer had the biggest offensive performance. The junior second baseman went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and one run scored. In addition to his run-scoring single in the fifth, Singer also ripped an RBI single to left in the bottom of the first. He now has 32 RBIs this season.
Next up: The Beavers open a three-game series against Long Beach State Thursday night at Goss Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 5:35.
Visit oreognlive.com/beavers later Tuesday night for a full recap of the game.
— 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.