Oregon State Overcomes Lightning Delay, and Wins Series Opener 6-3

Anticipating inclement weather, Friday's Oregon State/Cal Poly baseball series opener was moved up. Less than an hour removed from the opening pitch, the rationale behind that time change became wishful thinking.

In a game that featured a 105 minute lightning delay and persistent rainfall, Oregon State came back to beat Cal Poly 6-3. The official box score can be viewed here, and our game recap is below.

Friday phenom Dax Whitney suffered a night to forget. The sophomore standout from Idaho - who was pulled after almost two hours without throwing - foreshadowed his outing with a wild pitch which scored the game's opening run in the top of the first. Moments later, Cal Poly graduate student Casey Murray Jr. drilled a single through the left side of the infield. That effort brought two-batter Alejandro Garza home from third. Eventually, Whitney stopped the bleeding, but Oregon State trailed 2-0.

A pair of doubles delivered the Beavers' first run in the bottom of the second inning. After AJ Singer hit a ground-rule double into right center, Bryson Glassco swung a gapper into left center.

Then came the weather delay. At 5:54 PM in Corvallis, with a Cal Poly runner on first base and no outs in the top of the third inning, thunder boomed in the distance. Players quickly sprinted to their respective dugouts, and fans sought cover. Many of the thousands in attendance fled the park. Finally, at 7:39 PM local time, action resumed at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.

Due to the extended delay, Oregon State's coaching staff decided to substitute Whitney. Their pitching ace faced 11 batters across 2 and 0/3 innings. He threw 2 strikeouts, but allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs. When the delay expired, 6'2" freshman lefty reliever Trey Morris took over. With a runner on first and no outs in the third, Morris retired three straight Cal Poly batters.

Rain began to pour from the fourth inning onward; thanks to the turf playing surface, the game continued without interruption, but rain-slicked baseballs posed posed new problems. Working with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cal Poly freshman left-hander Brady Estes lost control of a pitch, and hit junior catcher Jacob Galloway in the back. The Beavers' next batter, Singer, singled Adam Haight home for the tying run.

The bottom of the sixth inning introduced a different kind of thunder to the ballpark. With Glassco on second base, Easton Talt launched a no-doubt two run homer run past the scoreboard in right field. After a Haight strikeout, Hubbard stepped up and crushed one past the bleachers beyond center field. Thanks to their efforts, Oregon State led 5-2.

Cal Poly inched closer in the top of the seventh inning with an Antonio Castro solo shot. Later that inning, Morris' was called off the mound. His night finished with only 1 hit allowed - Castro's aforementioned round trip - and 8 strikeouts across 4 and 2/3 innings. In relief, the Beavers brought up last Thursday's game winner Wyatt Queen. Over 1 and 1/3 inning, he shut out Cal Poly, allowing only 1 hit.

Oregon State restored their lead to three runs in the bottom of the eighth, thanks to a Haight triple. Approaching the final three outs in the top of the ninth, Albert Roblez triumphantly climbed up to the mound. Roblez, currently the nation's leader in saves, retired all three batters he faced.

Almost four and a half hours after Whitney's first pitch, Oregon State won their 26th game of the season. The win was credited to Morris (2-0), while Roblez recorded his NCAA Division I leading 11th save. Weather pending, Oregon State and Cal Poly will battle again tomorrow afternoon at 2:05 PM PST.