Without Dax Whitney, Oregon State Upset by Cal State Northridge 8-6

Typically, Friday baseball games at Goss Stadium offer Beaver Nation two certainties: pitching ace Dax Whitney will throw, and Oregon State will win.

Neither of those things happened tonight. With their sophomore star now out for the season, Oregon State lost in extra innings to Cal State Northridge 8-6. A full box score can be viewed here, and our game recap can be read below.

Starting on the mound in Whitney's absence, Saturday standout Ethan Kleinschmit extinguished his first three batters in order. The top of the second inning was more perilous, as the All-American pitcher allowed two singles and a solo home run. The latter hit was delivered past the left field fence by Cal State Northridge true freshman outfielder Coleman Vaughn, and it put the visitors ahead.

Entering the bottom frame down one run, Oregon State climbed on top thanks to a three run homer by sophomore infielder Paul Vasquez. First, Buster Posey Award nominee Jacob Galloway reached base on a walk. Next, a fielding error and subsequent fielders' choice moved Galloway to third and the hasty Nyan Hayes to first. Then seven pitches later, facing a 2-2 count, Vasquez launched the ball 373 feet.

A hilarious respite from this afternoon's somber story - Whitney's injury status - occurred in the bottom of the third inning. After errantly announcing ball four for Beavers' two hitter Bryson Glassco, who walked back to his dugout in disappointment after a dubious strike call by the home plate umpire, Portland's CW broadcaster Rich Burke gave up. For one at-bat, the familiar voice of Oregon State's select games on television surrendered his microphone, and Oregon State 2006 national champion Bill Rowe performed the play-by-play. Two pitches later, Rowe called Bryce Hubbard's thunderclap past the scoreboard in right center.

Tonight's series opener briefly featured an all-Oregonian matchup on the mound, as the Mount Angel native Kleinschmit dueled against Northridge reliever Zach Johnson, a Linfield University (McMinnville, OR) transfer and Lakeridge High School (Lake Oswego, OR) alum. After the aforementioned Hubbard homer lifted Oregon State's lead to 4-1, Northridge's staff saw enough. Johnson was substituted after just one inning of work.

In the top of the fourth inning, Cal State Northridge rallied. Vaughn, the hero from the second inning, homered for the second time tonight. Staring down a full count with a runner on first and two outs on the board, the young hitter dug down at the knees for a cut fastball. Thanks to his impressive contact, the ball soared, landing just beyond the fence.

Oregon State leadoff man Easton Talt answered with a one run bomb in the bottom frame, carrying the ball to the top row of the right field bleachers. Through four innings, Oregon State led 5-3.

The Beavers' advantage slipped away in the top of the fifth inning. With runners on the corners, Matthew Pena swung a sacrifice fly ball to left field, bringing Kyle Panganiban home. Matadors' five batter Mateo Rickman followed Pena to the plate, and promptly slugged a high fastball to put Northridge ahead 6-5. Moments later, Kleinschmit's start came to an end. In 4 and 2/3 innings, Kleinschmit allowed 8 hits and 6 earned runs with 3 homers, while also striking out 3 batters.

Wyatt Queen relieved Kleinschmit, and the 6'2" righty cruised through 3 and 1/3 innings of work. Midway through his appearance, Oregon State tied the game on a seventh inning solo shot by freshman pinch hitter Ethan Porter. The significance of the play cannot be understated: it was not simply his first collegiate home run, it was something deeply poetic.

Last month, Oregon State pitcher Tyler Bellerose was injured in an automobile accident. Both freshmen grew up together in Huntington Beach, and played on the same high school baseball team before enrolling at ol' O-S-U. Mere days after updates on Bellerose's long road to recovery, his long-time teammate's college breakout game feels fated by a higher power.

NCBWA Stopper of the Year award contender Albert Roblez took over in the top of the ninth inning. Oregon State's reliable closer got off to an uncharacteristic start - giving up a base hit, negated by Northridge batter Andrew Becker getting tagged out at second base, and then hitting his first batter of the year. Soon, the Long Beach State transfer would recover his form: the frame ended with back-to-back strikeouts.

The bottom of the ninth began with a pair of outs - Talt struck out swinging, and then pinch hitter Jacob Krieg flied out to right - before the night's home run hero Hubbard drew a walk. Oregon State tried to capitalize on the play by subbing in pinch runner Jace Miller, but the redshirt junior from Medford was stranded on first after AJ Singer popped out to center field.

Extra innings quickly tilted in favor of the Matadors. A pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt moved runners onto second and third bases, and then Oregon State elected to load the bases with an intentional walk. The wonderfully symbolic Trent Abel - no relation to Oregon State's 2018 national champion flamethrower Kevin Abel - dropped a difficult bunt in front of Roblez, and Northridge seized the lead. With the bases still loaded, a walk brought another run home for the road team.

The bottom frame saw Mitch Canham's orange & black batters downed in order. Tonight's upset loss marks Oregon State's second losing streak this season - their first since late February - and just their eleventh loss overall. Oregon State and Cal State Northridge will rematch tomorrow at 3:05 PM PST on KOIN-TV.

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