Early Adam Haight Homer Lifts Oregon State Past Iowa 4-3

Today, Oregon State defeated Iowa 4-3. The Beavers record moved to 6-4 ahead of Tuesday's rivalry game at Oregon. Read the full game recap here.

Jun 17, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; The Oregon State Beavers bench cheer action against the Louisville Cardinals during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Many years from now, when members of Oregon State University's 2026 baseball team reminisce upon this season together in orange & black, the Beavers will remember this weekend's trip to Texas as the moment Adam Haight broke through.

In five at-bats last season, the true freshman went hitless. Until yesterday's tug-of-war with Alabama, Haight's sophomore year barely fared better: in eleven at-bats, he swung three singles, and struck out five times. After the Snohomish native's impressive showing Saturday against the Crimson Tide - a double and a solo home run for the first extra base hits of his Oregon State career - all of Beaver Nation wondered what he might accomplish Sunday against Iowa.

This morning, Haight delivered an emphatic answer. With teammate Bryce Hubbard standing on first base in the top of the second inning, the Oregon State sophomore repeated the previous night's heroics: Haight blasted a Nick Terhaar pitch deep past the fence in left-center. After rounding the bases, Oregon State led 2-0.

In the third inning, Oregon State added another run. The foundation of the scoring effort came from three-hole hitter Cooper Vance walking to first. Then, cleanup batter Hubbard singled down the right field line, putting runners on the corners with one out. Thanks to an AJ Singer sacrifice bunt, Vance reached home.

One inning later, Oregon State extended their lead. After drawing a walk, freshman first baseman Ethan Porter advanced to second on a Jacob Galloway sacrifice bunt. Then Oregon State senior center fielder Easton Talt belted a bases-clearing triple, 4-0 Beavers.

The bottom of the fourth inning saw Iowa wipe their goose-egg off the scoreboard. After swinging a double down the left field line, Hawkeyes' redshirt-junior right fielder Kellen Strohmeyer reached third base thanks to a wild pitch from Oregon State starter Eric Segura. Then, a second wild pitch from Segura brought Strohmeyer home. A quick mound visit calmed things down, and Oregon State escaped the frame with a 4-1 advantage.

In the fifth, the Beavers squandered an opportunity to restore their four-run edge. With two outs and Hubbard at third, Surprise walk-off artist Josh Procter appeared to single through the right side, but Procter kept going. Moments later, Oregon State's promising freshman from the San Gabriel Valley was caught in a rundown at second base.

The Beavers' squandered opportunity was met by Hawkeyes heroics. After sophomore right-hander Zach Kmatz replaced Oregon State's Sunday starting pitcher Segura, Iowa leadoff hitter Gable Mitchell singled to right. A Caleb Wulf single to center, delivered Mitchell to third base. The following batter Kooper Schulte flied out to left-center, scoring Mitchell on a sacrifice. Iowa's inning was far from over: Wulf soon advanced to second base thanks to a perfectly-placed Strohmeyer groundball, and then Joey Nerat's single through the left scored Wulf from second. When the third out was finally recorded, Iowa trailed by only one run.

With runners on first and second in the sixth, the Hawkeyes seemed poised to tie it up. Suddenly, Beavers' skipper Mitch Canham dialed up his bullpen, and towering 6'6" righty Isaac Yeager relieved Kmatz. Yeager soon made his coach look like a genius; the Oregon State senior drew a pair grounders, and the frame finished scoreless.

The Beavers remained a run in front entering the bottom of the ninth inning, and called upon closer Albert Roblez. The Long Beach State transfer, a second-team Big West All-Conference selection last season, began the ninth against Iowa's 2-3-4 hitters. First, Wulf singled up the middle; the Iowa senior finished his day 4-4 with a run and a walk. Wulf was quickly substituted for pinch runner Miles Risley, who immediately stole second base. At the same time, Iowa three-batter Schulte struck out. Following a strikeout by Iowa's next hitter Strohmeyer, Roblez pinned the Hawkeyes down to their final out. With an 0-2 count, Nerat grounded mercifully to first, and Oregon State narrowly escaped with a 4-3 victory.

Following today's 4-3 effort, the Beavers record moved up to 6-4, with reliever Isaac Yeager earning the win (3-1) and Albert Roblez collecting his 4th save of the year. Oregon State will play again Tuesday at Oregon, with first pitch slated for 3:05 PM PST at PK Park in Eugene. Live video will stream online at B1G+ and live audio can be heard across Oregon State's many in-state radio affiliates, including Portland-area NewsTalk 1190 KEX.