Beavers Drop Two Games to No.7 Cal

Mike Stutes threw seven strong innings, but Oregon State dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 7 California Friday afternoon in the opening game of a three-game series at Evans Diamond.

Mike Stutes Photo courtesy: OSU Athletics

BERKELEY, Calif. - The Oregon State baseball team dropped the second game of a three-game series to seventh-ranked California, 9-3, Saturday afternoon at Evans Diamond.

Jason Ogata paced Oregon State with two hits. The Beavers posted five as a team, but allowed 13 to California. Jeff Kobernus led the Golden Bears with three hits.

Oregon State scored the game’s first run in the first, it coming on an RBI single by Ryan Ortiz, scoring Chris Hopkins.

The Golden Bears, however, countered back in the bottom of the second. Cal loaded the bases with two out, then took a 3-1 lead when shortstop Michael Brady tripled to center.

The Beavers were able to chase California starter Craig Benningson in the third, forcing the lefty to throw 55 pitches in 2 1/3 innings before being replaced midway through the third by Kevin Miller. OSU was able to chase Benningson after a walk by Drew George. Two batters earlier, Ogata doubled down the left field line, scoring John Tommasini from third and Hopkins from second. Tommasini started off the inning with a single, and moved to third on a double to right by Hopkins.

Cal, however, had an answer for the Beavers in the bottom half of the third. David Cooper began the inning with a two-run shot, then returned to the dugout and watched as Dylan Tonneson walked in a run and Brady drove in his fourth of the day on a fielder’s choice.

Cal scored solo runs in the fourth and eighth innings.

Miller took the win for Cal after finishing off the game, going 6 2/3 innings. He improved to 5-0 this season.

James Nygren lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his third career start, and first away from Goss Stadium. He allowed five hits and seven runs while walking two. He dropped to 0-1 this season.

Blake Keitzman immediately relieved Nygren and held California to one run and two hits in 1 2/3 innings of work. Josh Osich finished off the game for the Beavers, going four full innings, allowing five hits and one run in his second-longest outing of the season.

The Beavers dropped to 14-10 on the year and 2-3 in Pacific-10 Conference play. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, improved to 21-6-1 and 4-1 in Pac-10 games.

The Beavers and Golden Bears conclude the three-game series Sunday with a 1 p.m. PST start time at Evans Diamond. Right-hander Jorge Reyes is slated to start for Oregon State, while California will counter with righty Alex Rollin.

Catch the game live by tuning into the Beaver Sports Network, or by visiting Beaver Nation Online (www.osubeavers.com) and Yahoo! Sports.

OSU Notes: Ryan Ortiz started at first base for the first time in his career ... Ortiz also batted in the cleanup spot for the first time this season ... In turn, Erik Ammon earned his sixth start of the season behind the plate ... Braden Wells also started in left for the third time this year ... The start was the third of the season for James Nygren, and the first of his career on the road ... It was, however, his fifth appearance on the road ... He came into the game with 3 2/3 innings on the road, allowing just one hit and one unearned run with three strikeouts.

Game One Information:

Mike Stutes threw seven strong innings, scattering just two earned runs, but the Oregon State baseball team dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 7 California Friday afternoon in the opening game of a three-game series at Evans Diamond.

Stutes, in his seventh start of the season, scattered 10 hits and five runs – just two earned – over seven innings. His ERA dropped to 4.50 from 4.94 to start the game, and he walked four while striking out six in a 126-pitch effort. He did, however, drop to 2-4 this season.

Stutes’ counterpart, Tyson Ross, improved to 5-0 this season after going seven full innings. He allowed seven hits – having come into the game allowing just 11 in 25 innings – while giving up two runs. He struck out nine and walked three.

Oregon State (14-9 overall, 2-2 Pacific-10 Conference) pounded out 10 hits, led by Ryan Ortiz’s three. The catcher singled in the fourth, seventh and ninth innings to stretch his hit streak to three games. Jordan Lennerton also finished with two hits. The Beavers left 13 runners on base, however, compared to California’s eight.

The Golden Bears posted 10 hits in the win. Josh Satin, Brett Jackson and Blake Smith all had two hits to pace the Golden Bears.

California (20-6-1, 3-1) opened the game’s scoring with two runs in the first and another in the second to go up, 3-0. Rich Gorman doubled to lead off the game and later scored on a passed ball. Charlie Cutler, the game’s second batter, reached on a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, to third on the passed ball that scored Gorman, and scored when Jackson reached on a fielder’s choice.

Cal got its third run of the game in the second when Cutler grounded out to first, bringing in Smith from third. Smith had started the inning with a single to right.

The Beavers, however, answered back with two runs in the fourth to put Cal’s lead at 3-2. Consecutive singles by Ortiz and John Wallace and a walk by Daniel Robertson loaded the bases. Lennerton then drove in OSU’s first run of the game with a single through the right side. The next batter, Chris Hopkins, grounded into a double play, enabling Wallace to come home from third.

Oregon State nearly rallied again in the fifth, managing to get the bases loaded with two outs. Ross, however, was able to get out of the jam with one of his nine strikeouts.

Buoyed by getting out of that jam, the Golden Bears added two more runs in the fifth – only one of which was earned – to get ahead by three, 5-2.

Both Kyle Foster and Taylor Starr made appearances on the mound for OSU in the eighth. Foster pitched to two batters in the inning – one reached on an error and the second became the left-hander’s first strikeout of the season. Starr got the final two outs of the inning and a groundout and a flyout.

Matt Gorgen allowed Ortiz’s single with one out in the ninth but picked up his sixth save of the season.

Source: OSU Athletics

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