Led By Ortiz, No. 16 Beavers Open Series With 9-5 Win At Arizona

Oregon State and Arizona resume the three-game series today at 2:00 p.m.

Ryan Ortiz Courtesy: OSU Barometer

TUCSON, Ariz. - Ryan Ortiz tied a career-high by going 4-for-5 and the 16th-ranked Oregon State baseball team utilized a four-run eighth for a 9-5 victory over Arizona Thursday night at Sancet Stadium.

The teams will now play the second game of the three-game series Friday at 2 p.m. PT instead of the regularly scheduled 6 p.m. start due to possible inclement weather in Arizona.

On Thursday, Ortiz posted four hits for the third time of his career, singling in the fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth innings. He also drove in one as the Beavers (19-6 overall) stretch their win streak to five games, their second-longest of the season.

“Ryan had a very good game at the plate and the offense really picked it up in the last few innings,” Oregon State head coach Pat Casey said. “It was important to come out here and get the first win and set up

The Beavers pulled from behind with the big four-run seventh in which Oregon State took advantage of an error on Arizona closer Jason Stoffel and posted five hits. Ortiz started off the inning by reaching on an infield single and moved all the way to third when Stoffel overthrew first on a failed pickoff attempt.

The Beavers’ catcher scored when the next batter, Jared Norris, singled home his second run of the game. He moved to second on a groundout by Brett Casey, then broke the 5-5 tie when Logan Lotti doubled to left center.

Oregon State added two more runs after Lotti’s first hit of the game. Michael Miller walked, then moved to second when Lotti was driven in on a single by John Tommasini through the right side. Two batters later, and after a John Wallace fielder’s choice, Miller scored on a single by Joey Wong. The inning ended, however, when Wallace was thrown out at the plate, leaving OSU with an 8-5 lead after seven and a half.

Ortiz, who posted his eighth multiple-hit game of the season, gave the Beavers a four-run advantage by singling home Stefen Romero from second in the ninth.

Overall, the Beavers pounded out 11 hits against three Arizona pitchers. Wong and Romero also had two hits to help pace the Beavers’ offense.

Tyler Waldron went six full innings, scattering 11 hits and five runs – four earned – while striking out two. He did not figure in the decision. His counterpart, Arizona’s Preston Guilmet, also did not figure in the decision. He left the game with a 5-4 lead after going seven innings, allowing five hits and four runs, only two of which were earned.

James Nygren worked his first game since March 29 and went a full two innings to improve to 2-0 this season. He allowed just one hit and no runs while striking out one.

Stoffel allowed all four runs in the eighth and dropped to 1-1 this season after taking the loss.

With the win, the Beavers improved to 6-1 in Pacific-10 Conference play, which is Oregon State’s best start to a season since the league merged prior to the 1999 season. It is the Beavers’ best start in league play since Oregon State went 7-1 in Pac-10 North games in 1997.

Arizona took the lead after three, 2-0, after solo runs in the first and third innings. The Beavers answered back with three in the fourth, highlighted by a run-scoring single from Casey. Two of the three runs in the inning were unearned.

OSU added what appeared to be an insurance run in the fifth on a sac fly by Norris. Arizona, however, pulled to within one, 4-3, in the bottom half of the fifth on a groundout, and then took the lead with two runs in the sixth.

Oregon State and Arizona resume the three-game series Friday at 2 p.m. PT. Right-hander Greg Peavey (3-1, 3.06 ERA) is scheduled to go for the Beavers while righty Kyle Simon (2-3, 6.68 ERA) is the probable for the Wildcats.

Adding comments to these stories has been disabled. View the current sports stories Salem-News Sports