The Good, The Bad, and What's Next After Oregon State's Loss Against Washington State

Oregon State started strong, but couldn't maintain momentum Friday in their first game of the Eugene Regional, turning in for the night with a 3-2 loss to the Washington State Cougars.

It wasn't a complete performance from Oregon State, obviously, but there were positives to take from the performance on a misty afternoon at PK Park.

The Good

Ethan Kleinschmit's Start To The Day

Kleinschmit came out throwing hard, which mostly worked in his favor. He finished with nine strikeouts, marking the fifth time this season he's hit that number, or more. His outing lasted five and two-thirds with one earned run, with two walks and three batters hit by a pitch.

Again, the velocity Kleinschmit came out with prevented the Cougars from getting a hit through the first five innings. Normally, that provides a significant boost, but things started to fall off just at the end of Kleinschmit's start.

Albert Roblez

In the eighth, with his team down one and the bases loaded, Roblez answered the call for OSU. Roblez replaced Wyatt Queen on the mound, striking out two and getting the third out with a pop-out to third. Roblez struck out three more in the top of the ninth to give the Beavs a chance to overcome that one-run deficit late. It just didn't work out that way in the end, as WSU's Nick Lewis had a magnificent day of his own.

The Bad

The Fourth Inning

As the rain started to come down in the fourth inning, the Beavs made a series of mistakes that cost them dearly. Kleinschmit hit two batters to get runners on first and third. While Kleinschmit struck out the next batter, but the WSU base runner on second attempted to steal third. But Jacob Galloway's throw to third was slightly off the mark and made its way into left field. That gave the Cougs their first run, despite not having a hit at that point.

Is this the sole reason Oregon State lost? No. Did it make a massive difference in what ended up being a one-run game? Absolutely.

The Opposite of Clutch

In their final four offensive innings combined, the Beavers put just two runners on base and only one made it into scoring position.

To give WSU's Lewis credit, he seemed to look more and more in-control as what ended up being a complete game for him progressed. The more he worked the outside of the zone, the more Oregon State seemed to struggle putting balls into play.

Even more deflating, Oregon State saw multiple home runs robbed at the fence by the WSU outfield, namely a bomb from Jacob Krieg that looked inches away from going over the fence in the bottom of the seventh.

What's Next

With the loss, the Beavers now await the loser of Friday night's contest between the Oregon Ducks and the Yale Bulldogs. OSU will try to stave off elimination on Saturday afternoon, starting at 1 p.m. PT on an ESPN channel to be determined.

About State of the Beavs

Each week, veteran sports broadcaster and writer Matt Bagley examines the news and storylines at play for Oregon State University Athletics. Occasionally joined by contributors for On SI's coverage of the Beavers, as well as the occasional guest spot from Beavers past, present, and future. Get caught up with the playlist below. New episodes are typically released on Tuesday mornings.

Want to interact with the show? Talk to Matt: mbagleyradio@gmail.com

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