Baseball takes 4th straight over Beavs, 8-4

Jesuit High grad and Oregon second baseman Ryan Cooney drove a solo home run over the wall in center, turned three double plays and hit a go-ahead, two-out, two-run single in the 6th as the Ducks doubled up Oregon State in Corvallis.

Jacob Walsh launched a fat 3-2 pitch halfway up the screen in straightaway center field for a 1-0 lead in the 1st, the 55th home run of his Oregon career, the all-time school record.

In the Beavers half after a leadoff walk, Maddox Molony scooped up a ground ball, fired it to Cooney at second, over to Walsh for a double play.

It was a good thing, because Beaver three-spot hitter Gavin Turley lifted a home run to left to tie it at 1-1.

Baserunning miscues cost the Ducks early. After stealing ten bases in the weekend series, they had a runner picked off in the first and one caught stealing in the second.

The bonus outs helped OSU starting pitcher Wyatt Queen to settle down a bit. So too were four early strikeouts as the Oregon hitters got fooled, swinging at pitches out of the strike zone as they seemed to struggle for timing in their first time through the lineup.

Sanford gave up a leadoff walk in both of the first two innings, but each time the Ducks erased it with a double play, Molony to Cooney to Walsh. In the second Sanford walked two more after two outs. Chase Meggars sprang out of his stance to keep the next pitch from going to the screen.

With runners on first and second and two out, the Beavers' Trent Caraway scooted a single up the middle for a 2-1 lead. A wild pitch scored another, Sanford's seventh of the year.

Two walks came around to score and the Ducks found themselves in a hole after dominating OSU all weekend. A leadoff homer by hot-hitting second baseman Ryan Cooney made it 3-2.

Sanford struggled with his command, missing high, low, and wide, falling behind the leadoff hitter 3-0 before finding the strike zone twice, then throwing in the dirt on 3-2. The leadoff hitter walked for the third inning in a row.

Ryan Featherston came on to pitch with a runner on and no out in the third. A double the other way sliced away from Drew Smith. A walk loaded the bases, still no outs.

OSU catcher Wilson Weber lined to Garate at third, one out. Featherston then struck out Reeder, who stood there looking like a house beside the side of the road. Anson Arroz gathered in a fly ball on the warning track to end the inning, Featherston unscathed, still 3-2 OSU.

Featherston stumbled on his delivery and balked home a runner from third as OSU extended the lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Jaxson Jordan pitched a scoreless fifth, striking out two.

The Ducks took a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth when Ryan Cooney bounced a single up the middle to score two.

In the 7th Walsh drove a double into the right corner to score Mason Neville, who lead off with a double. Neville walked in three previous at bats, an disciplined day at the plate for the NCAA home run leader, who walked again in the 9th.

Walsh stole third, then Drew Smith punched a single into left to make it 7-4 UO with 9 outs to go.

It was another breakthrough night for the Oregon bullpen. Jaxson Jordan pitched a scoreless fifth for the win, then Boyle, Cole Stokes and Santiago Garcia held the Beavers hitless in the 6th, 7th and 8th. Stokes and Jordan both struck out two.

Garcia got the ball to start the 9th. An infield single cued toward second got the Beavers started. Easton Talt worked Garcia to 3-2 and walked.

With two on, nobody out and the tying run on deck, Wasikowski left Garcia in to pitch. His first pitch sailed high, the second low for ball two. Righthander Seth Mattox came on, inheriting a 2-0 count.

The 6-3 righthander from California Baptist got Arquette to bounce to Garate at third, who stepped on the bag and threw across the diamond for the Ducks' fourth double play. A ground ball to Molony ended the threat, Mattox earning the save.

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