It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t easy. And it wasn’t always pretty.
But the Oregon State baseball team ended its 10-game season-opening trip with a win at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The lineup had its most explosive outing in two weeks and Joey Mundt and Matthew Morrell salvaged a forgettable performance by the bullpen as the Beavers defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 12-10 in a Sunday slugfest at the College Baseball Classic.
The victory delivered No. 9 Oregon State (7-3) a winning weekend at the marquee four-team tournament, which also included the Baylor Bears and Auburn Tigers.
Sunday’s finale featured a barrage of fireworks as both lineups lit up the opposing pitching staffs. But the biggest damage came late.
After the OSU bullpen blew a five-run lead, the Beavers inexplicably found themselves staring at a stunning 9-7 deficit against an inferior opponent that has managed just one win all season. Ohio State (1-8) touched up relievers Kellan Oakes and Zach Edwards for seven runs on six hits and four free passes in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, as the Buckeyes carried a 9-7 lead into the eighth inning.
Oakes, who allowed five runs in last Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, was especially ineffective, coughing up six runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
But unlike last Sunday, the Beavers’ bats had the bullpen’s back, erupting for a five-run eighth to retake control.
Wilson Weber started the rally with a pinch-hit single to lead off the eighth and, suddenly, the floodgates opened. AJ Singer followed with a five-pitch walk and Trent Caraway smacked a high hopper over the third baseman’s head for a run-scoring single, trimming to the deficit to 9-8.
Four pitches later, Aiva Arquette hammered a high fastball into center field to score Singer and tie the game at 9-9. And then, after a Tyce Peterson flyout to deep center, Gavin Turley delivered the biggest swing of the day.
The junior left fielder sent a 1-1 pitch into the Beavers’ bullpen in right-center, clobbering a three-run home run that staked OSU a 12-9 lead.
It put a bow on a prodigious weekend for Turley, who belted two homers and drove in nine runs, producing multiple RBIs in all three games in Arlington.
But after watching the Beavers’ bullpen flounder Saturday against Auburn — and last weekend in a pair of defeats at the Round Rock Classic — Oregon State fans were no doubt holding their collective breaths heading into ninth.
But Morrell worked around a hit batter and an Arquette error to close the door, tossing a hitless final frame to earn the save. Morrell, who followed an effective 1 1/3 innings of relief by Mundt, could be in the early stages of locking down the OSU closer job.
The 6-foot-3 sophomore right-hander saved both wins at the College Baseball Classic, allowing no hits and one unearned run in three solid innings. He also earned the save in Friday’s win against Baylor, recording one strikeout in two, perfect innings.
But Sunday’s win was hardly perfect. The Beavers committed three errors — Caraway, Arquette and Bryce Hubbard had throwing blunders — which led to three unearned runs. OSU has committed seven errors and allowed nine unearned runs in the last five games.
It didn’t matter Sunday, however, thanks to the offense, which clubbed 13 hits, drew six walks and reached double figures in scoring for the third time this season.
Four Beavers had multi-hit efforts and five drove in runs. Turley went 2 for 5 with five RBIs and two runs scored, Canon Reeder finished 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs and Arquette (four hits, two runs scored ) and Caraway (two hits, a double, three runs scored) continued to rake at the top of the order.
Oregon State produced its most hits since beating Virginia on Feb. 21 and scored its most runs since routing Xavier on Feb. 17.
Next up: The Beavers host San Diego on Friday at 5:35 p.m. in the home opener at Goss Stadium in Corvallis.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | @freemanjoe.bsky.social | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
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