Oregon State vs. San Diego live score updates, highlights, how to watch baseball game

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CORVALLIS — There was always going to be a bit of an adjustment period for Nelson Keljo as Oregon State’s flame-throwing left-hander made the move from the bullpen to the starting rotation this season.

On Friday, the Beavers saw plenty of positive signs from their Friday starter as Keljo delivered his best outing of the season.

Keljo tossed five scoreless innings and struck out eight while allowing just three baserunners as No. 8 OSU beat San Diego, 11-3, in its home opener at Goss Stadium. With the win, the Beavers improved to 8-3 on the year.

Keljo needed just 73 pitches to get through his outing and was much more efficient than he had been in recent weeks. He threw 52 strikes and consistently landed his off-speed pitches for strikes. After his final pitch of the night — a 95 mile-per-hour fastball that struck out Aden Howard looking — Keljo strutted off the mound and let out a celebratory shout toward the home dugout.

“It’s easier as a reliever to do that,” Keljo said of his demonstrative celebration. “My few starts this year have been pretty mellow. I didn’t really have everything working for me, so it was pretty hard to get hyped up like that. But, especially in front of the Goss crowd, it was super easy. It just happens; I just kind of get excited and pumped up.. I know the team likes to see that, too, so it was good to get a Friday night win under our belt.”

During his most recent outing in the Beavers’ 4-3 win over Baylor on Feb. 28, Keljo did not throw a single breaking ball for a strike according to head coach Mitch Canham. This time around, he attacked hitters with his slider and changeup to great effect.

“The past few starts, it was pretty easy for the hitters to just lay off the slider and changeup, because I couldn’t really land them,” Keljo said. “So, having all three of those for strikes was really helpful because the hitters have to guess for three pitches instead of one. the first few starts, I was throwing my fastball like 75% of the time. … Whenever I would throw my off-speed, it was pretty much an (automatic) ball and I was getting behind in counts.”

Canham and pitching coach Rich Dorman considered sending Keljo back out for the sixth inning, as his pitch count was relatively low. But with a full-stocked bullpen available, and Oregon State holding a 4-0 lead, they took a more conservative approach.

“After his (previous) outings being what they were — and getting better — sometimes it’s good when you end on a high note, as opposed to just keep pressing it until you fail,” Canham said. “First time (that Keljo has made it through five innings) with that kind of intensity he was showing, let the rest of their guys do their job.”

Meanwhile, the Beavers’ offense gave Keljo all the run support he would need during the early innings. Easton Talt cracked a RBI single in the second to get OSU on the board. Gavin Turley and Canon Reeder each drove in runs in the third inning to make it 3-0.

But it was sophomore third baseman Trent Caraway who stole the show.

Caraway, a potential first-round pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, went 4 for 5 with a home run out of the leadoff spot. His sixth-inning dinger traveled 421 feet and left the bat at 108 miles per hour.

“First pitch (San Diego pitcher Porter Rovin) flipped a slider in and I was like, ‘Okay, this guy’s not gonna beat me. I’m just gonna sit middle-middle and wait for a heater. He threw it to me and I was just perfectly on time and ready to go.”

Caraway said he had never hit leadoff at any point in his career until this season. The Beavers’ experiment inserting the slugger at the top of the order has paid signficant dividends early in the year, though.

Caraway is hitting .429 on the year and has consistently displayed gap-to-gap power.

“With me, if it’s in the zone, I’m probably gonna swing and I’m probably gonna try to get a barrel on it. That’s kind of my M.O.,” Caraway said. “Doing a better job of seeing pitches, too. At the start of the season, in Round Rock, I was chasing a lot of stuff. Lately, I’ve been just been like, ‘Alright, sit middle-middle. If it’s not there, it’s not my pitch.'”

Oregon State will return to Goss Stadium Saturday afternoon for its second game of a three-game set with San Diego. First pitch is slated for 1:35 p.m. and the game will air on KOIN.

Dax Whitney (1-2, 6.00 earned-run average) is slated to get the starting nod for the Beavers.

Final: Oregon State 11, San Diego 3

Joey Mundt stayed on in relief for the Beavers. He walked leadoff hitter AJ Anzai but got three quick outs to end the game.

Trent Caraway, Aiva Arquette and Tyce Peterson led off the inning with back-to-back-to-back doubles to left field.

Later in the inning, Wilson Weber busted the game open with a two-run single to increase the Beavers’ lead to 11-3.

Jayden Lobliner snuck a two-out single through the right side to cut OSU’s lead to 7-3. That spelled the end of Eric Segura’s relief outing for the Beavers.

Senior right-hander Joey Mundt replaced Segura. Mundt struck out AJ Beltre looking to end the inning.

Segura tallied a final pitching line of: four hits, three earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of work. He threw 64 pitches, including 38 strikes.

Canon Reeder drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on Easton Talt’s single to tack on another run for the Beavers.

San Diego loaded the bases with nobody out as Eric Segura walked two batters and hit another. Segura bounced back to strike out Rex Watson for the first out of the inning. Connor Meidroth followed with a single up the middle, though, to get San Diego on the board.

Then, Aden Howard lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to cut OSU’s lead to 6-2.

Segura avoided further damage when he got leadoff man Isaiah Lane to fly out and end the inning.

Trent Caraway hit a two-run moon shot over the left field fence to push the Beavers’ lead to 6-0. According to OSU’s analytics department, Caraway’s homer traveled 421 feet and had an exit velocity of 108.

Later in the inning, Tyce Peterson crushed a triple to the right-field gap, but he was left stranded.

Nelson Keljo’s night is done. He tossed five scoreless innings, struck out eight, walked two and allowed just one hit. He threw 73 pitches, including 52 strikes.

Sophomore righty Eric Segura took over for the Beavers at the start of the sixth inning.

Oregon State’s 5-6-7 hitters — Jacob Krieg, Canon Reeder and Wilson Weber — went down in order.

Nelson Keljo gave the Beavers his best inning of the evening thus far in the fifth. He struck out the side and now has eight strikeouts on the night.

Keljo’s final pitch of the inning was his 73rd of the game.

Easton Talt drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on Trent Caraway’s double to left field. Beavers’ designated hitter Tyce Peterson was hit in the head with a pitch midway through the inning but stayed in the game.

Nelson Keljo issued a leadoff walk to Nico Libed, but buckled down and retired San Diego’s 3-4-5 hitters in order. Through four innings, Keljo has thrown just 57 pitches.

Gavin Turley smashed an RBI single to double Oregon State’s lead. Later in the inning, Canon Reeder legged out a two-out bunt single to plate another run and push OSU’s lead to 3-0.

Nelson Keljo delivered another three-up, three-down inning and struck out Isaiah Lane looking to end the frame.

Bottom of the 2nd inning — Oregon State 1, San Diego 0

Easton Talt smashed a 1-0 double to the right-field gap to get the Beavers on the board. Earlier in the inning, Gavin Turley was thrown out trying to steal third. He was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a video review.

Top of the 2nd inning — Oregon State 0, San Diego 0

Nelson Keljo landed a couple of sharp off-speed pitches for strikes and racked up a pair of strikeouts during a 1-2-3 second inning.

Bottom of the 1st inning — Oregon State 0, San Diego 0

San Diego starter Cal Scolari retired OSU’s 1-2-3 hitters in order. He struck out Tyce Peterson to end the inning.

Top of the 1st inning — Oregon State 0, San Diego 0

Oregon State starter Nelson Keljo worked around a leadoff single from Isaiah Lane to retire San Diego in order.

Oregon State starting lineup

  1. Trent Caraway — 3B
  2. Aiva Arquette — SS
  3. Tyce Peterson — DH
  4. Gavin Turley — LF
  5. Jacob Krieg — 1B
  6. Canon Reeder — CF
  7. Wilson Weber — C
  8. Easton Talt — RF
  9. AJ Singer — 2B

LHP Nelson Keljo

San Diego starting lineup

  1. Isaiah Lane — SS
  2. Nico Libed — LF
  3. Jack Gurevitch — 1B
  4. Austin Smith — DH
  5. Jayden Lobliner — C
  6. AJ Beltre — 3B
  7. Rex Watson — RF
  8. Connor Meidroth — 2B
  9. Aden Howard — CF

RHP Cai Scolari

How to watch: No. 8 Oregon State vs. San Diego — Game 1

Time: 5:35 p.m.

TV: KOIN

Streaming: KOIN.com, KOIN+, Pac-12 Insider

Who are the projected starters for Oregon State and San Diego?

The projected starting pitchers are Oregon State left-hander Nelson Keljo (0-0, 3.00 earned-run average) and San Diego right-hander Cal Scolari (1-1, 1.38).

Oregon State baseball 2025 schedule

Next five games

Friday, March 7 — San Diego — 5:35 p.m.

Saturday, March 8 — San Diego — 1:35 p.m.

Sunday, March 9 — San Diego — 1:05 p.m.

Tuesday, March 11 — Washington State — 5:35 p.m.

Wednesday, March 12 — Washington State — 3:05 p.m.

Jarrid Denney covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at JDenney@salem.gannett.com or on X @jarrid_denney