13th Ranked Oregon State Rallies Past Mercer 7-5 in Series Opener

In the third inning of tonight's Oregon State baseball broadcast on Portland's CW, play-by-play announcer Rich Burke offered an awe-inspiring quote from Oregon State's legendary former skipper Pat Casey.

"Pat says 'Hey I've seen twenty-five first round pitchers pitch in college baseball over the years, or more' and he says Dax Whitney is the best he's ever seen at the collegiate level."

Oregon State sophomore starting pitcher Dax Whitney earned Casey's praise tonight with thirteen strikeouts, and his Beavers won their series opener against the Mercer Bears 7-5. A full box score can be read here, and our game recap can be read below.

The first three Mercer batters went down in order, which soon brought Oregon State leadoff man Easton Talt to the plate in the bottom of the first. Talt sparked the orange & black attack with a walk on five pitches, and then stole second base. After Bryce Hubbard blooped a single into shallow left field, the Beavers' leadoff runner Talt raced home for the game's first run.

Whitney and the defense stayed clean in the second inning, returning all three Mercer batters to their dugout empty-handed. In the following inning, the Bears roared: back-to-back home runs by junior infielder Logan Shepherd and senior outfielder Chris Katz scored three runs, and stole the lead 3-1.

Oregon State woke back up in the bottom of the third. First, Talt singled off the mound, and then earned his second stolen base of the night. The following hitter, Oregon State sophomore Adam Haight, drew a walk. Moments later, Hubbard reached base on a flukey ground ball to the hot corner. Mercer third baseman Brant Baughcum scooped the grounder, then tried to swap the ball from his glove to his throwing hand - to tag the leadoff runner Talt - but the Rawlings game ball slipped harmlessly out of his clutches, falling back to the earth. Baucum's error kept all the runners safe, and then a Jacob Galloway sacrifice fly brought Talt home from third. At the end of the inning, Mercer led 3-2.

Mercer's momentum was halted in a hitless fourth inning. Whitney recorded the final out, his eighth strikeout of the night, on a high, tight fastball that got Mercer sophomore utility man Eli Stephens to chase. In the bottom frame, Oregon State sophomore infielder Paul Vasquez leveled the score with a solo shot over the batter's eye in center.

Whitney earned his ninth strikeout in the following inning, leaving Mercer junior catcher Dylan LaPointe gasping for air. Two batters later, a low cut fastball slipped past the swing of the third inning's hero Katz; now, Whitney's tally reached double digits. In the sixth inning, he impressively added three more strikeouts.

His night finished after six innings - the Beavers' ace threw 92 pitches to earn his baker's dozen strikeouts - and the seventh inning featured an appearance for sophomore righty Jack Giordano. The San Diego native struggled, walking a batter and surrendering a two run homer. Moments later, his night was over. Tensions lingered with senior reliever AJ Hutcheson, as the submarine pitcher loaded the bases. Facing a packed house with one out, sophomore right hander Zach Edwards became the Beavers' third pitcher of the inning. Thanks to a quick strikeout and groundout at second base, the Beavers escaped with only a two run deficit.

Oregon State inched closer in the bottom of the seventh - thanks to a Galloway sacrifice bunt - but they stranded runners on the corners after a Vasquez swinging strikeout. In the eighth, the top of the lineup finished the comeback effort. Talt knocked a double through the right/center gap, scoring Cooper Vance from first base. Then, Haight walked. Finally, the go-ahead runs reached home plate on a Hubbard hit to the warning track.

When Oregon State senior Albert Roblez stepped onto the mound to begin the ninth inning, he carried a two run lead. That score held after a pair of strikeouts, and a pop fly to Talt in center. Shortly before 9 PM Friday night, Oregon State celebrated a comeback victory 7-5. The final score surged Oregon State's win streak to 5, and upped their record to 19-5. Oregon State and Mercer will battle again Saturday at Goss Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 PM PST. The game will air on Portland's CW.