Beavers strike hot twice, but still one to go
Ethan Kleinschmit’s gem in a 20-3 win over Saint Mary’s paved the way for an Oregon State sweep of Sunday’s action at Goss
Updated 6/2/2025 11:06 AM
CORVALLIS — For Oregon State, it is now Mission Possible.
After losing their opener 6-4 to unsung Saint Mary’s Friday night at the Corvallis Regional, the No. 1 seeded Beavers faced the daunting task of needing to win four straight elimination games to advance to next weekend’s Super Regional.
“Yeah, let’s do it,” was the Beavers’ mantra. “Why not us?”
If it seemed improbable then, it doesn’t now.
After a 7-2 win over Texas Christian Saturday to stave off elimination, the Beavers flexed their muscles by stomping Saint Mary’s 20-3, then rolling over Southern Cal 14-1 in a pair of Sunday games at Goss Stadium.
Suddenly, only a 3 p.m. Monday rematch with the Trojans stands in the way of Oregon State (44-13-1) continuing its season next weekend by hosting a Super Regional at Goss.
“Phenomenal day for the Beavs all around,” OSU coach Mitch Canham said after watching his lads play more than seven hours of baseball. First pitch in the Saint Mary’s game was at 3:06 p.m.; the final out in the USC contest came at 11:29 p.m.
In between, the Beavers made a statement, and how. They totaled 38 hits in 18 innings and outscored their foes by a combined 34-4.
Was this the same team that lost to Saint Mary’s in the Regional opener, putting the Beavers on the brink of elimination?
“What we saw on Day One compared to every minute since then is night and day,” Canham observed.
On Friday, the Beavers flailed at an array of curveballs and changeups and wound up striking out 16 times with only seven hits and two walks against the Gaels. In Sunday’s twin bill, they had 58 baserunners, not counting those who got on via error, with 38 hits, 18 walks and two hit-by-pitch.
So what happened?
“It comes from guys continuing to make adjustments day to day,” said junior left-fielder Gavin Turley, who went 5 for 8 in the double-header with his 17th home run of the season and three RBIs. “We have that mindset. As we continue to do that, balls will continue to fly.”
Nobody has made the ball fly in the Regional more than sophomore third baseman Trent Caraway, who has wiped away memories of a late-season slump with an epic weekend at the plate. He has homered in each of Oregon State’s four games — solo shots in each of the first three games, and a three-run blast against USC that gave the Beavers a 9-1 lead in the sixth, effectively burying the Trojans.
In Saturday’s two games, Caraway went 6 for 8 with four walks, 6 runs scored, 7 RBIs and two round-trippers.
“Trent is living his best life right now,” Canham said. “He is hitting the crud out of the baseball. He has a fire in him right now.”
Caraway has been squaring the bat up on the ball on nearly every at-bat.
“I think it is just believing in myself,” said Caraway, who has raised his batting average from .258 to .276 in the four games. “I have the talent; it is just doing it, trusting what I can do. I am going out on the field and having fun and competing in the best atmosphere In college baseball.”
Caraway has had company in the sizzle department.
On Sunday, shortstop Aiva Arquette went a combined 6 for 11 at the plate, with four runs scored and three RBIs. Catcher Wilson Weber was 4 for 12, with a pair of doubles and his 12th homer. Second baseman AJ Singer was 4 for 8 with three runs scored, three RBIs and three sacrifice bunts. Then there was first baseman Tyce Peterson, hitting in the nine-hole, who was 7 for 10 — including 4 for 4 in the nightcap — with five runs scored and four RBIs.
But back to the atmosphere mentioned by Caraway. Goss has housed some raucous crowds in the postseason over the years, but perhaps none as frenzied and passionate as those who yelled and chanted and cheered for the Beavers in Sunday’s two games.
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The partisans were rewarded with some of the best playoff baseball in program history.
Witness the play that set the tone in the victory over the Trojans, who came in 2-0 after wins over Saint Mary’s and TCU, needing only one more “W” to advance to a Super Regional.
After Oregon State went down in order in the top of the first — Oregon State was the visiting team in both Sunday games — Brayden Dowd opened SC’s half of the inning with a single. Ethan Hedges followed with a double to the gap in right-center. Canon Reeder took the ball off the bounce off the wall, fired a strike to shortstop Aiva Arquette, whose relay to catcher Wilson Weber nailed a sliding Dowd at the plate.
It was a play suitable for framing, perhaps to be remembered in Beaver lore along the lines of the Wong-to-Barney-to-Rowe doubleplay in the 2007 College World Series.
“Incredible,” Canham said.
Starting pitcher Wyatt Queen — who went 4 1/3 innings, scattering eight hits but yielding only one run — got out of the frame unscathed. The Beavers responded with four runs in the second via the old-school method — four productive bunts, including a sacrifice and three squeeze plays that worked.
“Good job by them of creating pressure on us and scoring runs,” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz said.
USC (37-22) never recovered from the Beaver bunt-a-thon. The Trojans managed 12 hits but left 12 runners on base.
“We came up with big-time pitches and defense in big moments,” Canham said.
Pitching was a plus in both games. Queen, Kellan Oakes and Zach Kmatz combined for 16 strikeouts and only two walks against USC. In the opener against Saint Mary’s, Ethan Kleinschmit did it mostly by himself, yielding five hits and two runs with three walks and six strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings. The sophomore transfer from Linn-Benton CC threw a season-high 114 pitches.
“Ethan filled up the strike zone,” Canham said. “Even at the end, when he was starting to climb up (in pitches) a little bit, it was, ‘deep breath, good pitches.’
“He had a lot of pop out there early on. He wasn’t striking a lot of guys out, which was perfectly fine. It allowed him to go deep into the game. For that game and that moment, that’s what we needed.
“He does a lot of it just by using his fastball and attacking the zone, making quick adjustments. If he needs to throw a slider or a curveball, he will do it.”
Kleinschmit was pushed to the limit in terms of pitch count.
“My body was getting a little bit tight,” he said. “I went as long as I could, honestly.”
It was a pressure situation — win or the Beavers’ season was over. Kleinschmit smiled when I asked how he liked the big-game atmosphere, and if he felt any pressure.
“Oh, I love it,” he said. “I love full crowds. I love all the emotions and everything. I didn’t really feel any pressure, but I sure love those games.”
The Beavers led the Gaels 5-2 when they broke it open in the sixth, sending 15 batters to the plate and scoring nine runs to go ahead 14-2. They ended with 21 hits, nine walks and two hit-by-pitch.
After a 45-minute break between games, the Beavers came out and pummeled the Trojans, too, with 17 hits and nine walks.
“We left too many balls out over the plate, up in the zone, and they hit them well,” Stankiewicz said.
For the day, the Beavers slugged five home runs and played like they own the place.
“We came to the field super loose and ready to go,” Caraway said. “Just like yesterday. Our backs are against the wall. We got nothing to lose. Let’s go.”
Stankiewicz was quick to point out that it was only one game, and that there is another one to play on Monday.
“It is frustrating, for sure, but we have to just let it go,” the USC skipper said. “It is a loss, but just one. That is the way we will look at it. We went 2-0, so we are in position to come back tomorrow and get after it.
“We have responded very well all year after tough losses. We will be ready to go (Monday).”
Asked who will be the Trojans’ starting pitcher, Stankiewicz said he hasn’t decided but has several options. One he mentioned was senior right-hander Caden Aoki, who threw eight innings of four-hit, one-run ball in a 14-1 win over TCU on Friday.
Canham demurred on the subject, too. Sophomore right-hander Eric Segura, who threw only 28 pitches in OSU’s Friday loss to Saint Mary’s, would seem to be a logical choice. He would probably be on a short leash, with sidewinder AJ Hutcheson, Laif Palmer, Nelson Keljo and others waiting in the wings.
Turley shrugged when I asked if Sunday’s pounding by the Beavers might have a psychological effect on the Trojans.
“After a game, I like to go home and re-set,” said Turley, who passed Michael Conforto to become the school record-holder in RBIs. “Tomorrow is a new day. Go home, learn from mistakes today and go compete tomorrow.
“Does it leave a psychological impact? I don’t know, and I don’t really care. It’s just go play ball.”
Monday’s game starts 0-0. Even so, Canham likes what he is seeing from the Beavers.
“Both sides (offense and defense) are really clicking,” he said. “That is what needs to happen this time of year.”
Canham hopes Monday will be the grand finale of a weekend that started bad but ended good.
“Great story,” he said. “It is meant to be that way.”
Well, why not?
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