Oregon State Blasts No. 7 Cal to Take Series Finale

Oregon State improved to 15-10 this season and 3-3 in Pacific-10 Conference games.

Jorge Reyes threw a strong 6 2/3 innings as Oregon State took the series finale from No. 7 California, 9-2, Sunday afternoon at Evans Diamond. Photo courtesy: OSU Athletics

BERKELEY, Calif. - Jorge Reyes threw a strong 6 2/3 innings, scattering five hits and two runs, and Drew George tied a season-high with four hits as Oregon State took the series finale from No. 7 California, 9-2, Sunday afternoon at Evans Diamond.

Reyes needed just 85 pitches to get through 6 2/3 innings, which tied for his second-longest start of the season. He allowed five hits and two runs – one earned – while striking out five and walking just one. The right-hander improved to 2-1 in his seventh start of the season.

Reyes kept California to just one hit through the first five innings. He gave up a solo shot to David Cooper in the sixth, and allowed three hits in the inning; however, the two hits after Cooper’s inning-starting home run did not score. Reyes forced the Golden Bears to strand six runners.

George, meanwhile, equaled his career-best four hits with singles in the second, third, and fifth innings. He doubled in the sixth and walked in the eighth. The Lebanon, Ore., native now has three games this season with four hits; he posted four and six RBI against San Diego State on March 10, then nearly equaled the feat with four hits and four RBI at Nevada on March 15.

“Jorge and Drew certainly stood out today, but this was also a team effort,” Oregon State head coach Pat Casey said. “Jorge was sharp and got a big win. He did very well against a very good California offense. This is a good win to build on as we get Stanford next weekend.”

Oregon State improved to 15-10 this season and 3-3 in Pacific-10 Conference games. OSU is also 3-6 against teams ranked in the top 25 this season. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, dropped to 21-7-1 overall and 4-2 in Pac-10 contests.

Offensively, the Beavers tallied 13 hits on the day. Jason Ogata finished 3-for-4 and scored two runs, while John Wallace doubled in the third and singled in the fifth. He also walked in the second and scored a run to go along with an RBI.

For the second straight day, Oregon State chased California’s starter early, getting right-hander Alex Rollin out of the game after just 2 1/3 innings of work. The starter scattered nine hits and four runs before being pulled in favor of reliever Todd Fitzgerald.

Rollin dropped to 3-1 this season.

Oregon State began its scoring in the second, putting two runs on the board for a 2-0 lead. George started the inning off with a single, and moved to second on a stolen base. George eventually moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Daniel Robertson singled down the right field line. Robertson, too, scored in the second when Chris Hopkins singled up the middle with two outs.

The Beavers added to their lead in the third. Consecutive one-out singles by Ogata and Ryan Ortiz put runners on first and third, setting the table for George’s second single of the game, a shot to right that scored Ogata. Wallace then doubled to right center, scoring Ortiz, and chasing Rollin. Fitzgerald came on in relief of Rollin and proceeded to get out of the inning with two straight outs, keeping OSU’s lead at 4-0.

The Golden Bears trimmed the Beavers’ lead slightly in the bottom half of the third, scoring on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Cooper, making the score 4-1.

The Beavers got to Fitzgerald in the fifth, stretching the lead to 6-1. The lefty walked both Garrett Nash and Joey Wong with the bases loaded and two at bats, in consecutive at bats, before being replaced by Nick Nunez.

Oregon State put it out of reach in the sixth, getting three runs – two unearned – off Nunez. George doubled in his second run of the game, then, two batters later and with two outs, Robertson reached on a California error, allowing Ogata and George to score.

Tanner Robles and Kevin Rhoderick relieved Reyes in the win. Robles came on immediately after Reyes, and went a perfect 1 1/3 inning, striking out one. Rhoderick, in his 10th appearance of the season, closed out the game in the ninth, allowing just one hit, the second of the season in 15 innings against the freshman.

Oregon State takes the week off before hosting Stanford in a three-game series at Goss Stadium that begins Friday. First pitch for the first game is slated for 5 p.m. Catch the entire series live on the Beaver Sports Network, Beaver Nation Online (www.osubeavers.com) and Yahoo! Sports.

Additionally, on Saturday in a game that begins at 1 p.m., fans who have XM Radio can catch the Beavers on channel 193 nationwide.

OSU Notes: Ryan Ortiz extended his hit streak to five games with a single in the third inning ... It is the second-longest streak of the season for Ortiz, who had a 10-gamer earlier this season ... The catcher has hit safely in 18 of the team’s 25 games this season ... Ortiz also threw out his ninth runner of the season in the fourth inning ... Oregon State has not allowed a stolen base in its last seven games and opponents in Pac-10 games are 0-for-4 on the basepaths ... Jorge Reyes saw his ERA drop to 7.26 from 8.88 prior to the game.

Source: OSU Athletics

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