ROUND ROCK, Texas Last week’s team supper at a barbecue restaurant kicked off the Oregon State baseball team’s journey to the Lone Star State with friendship and regional fare.
A large, heaping slice of humble pie marked the conclusion of Sunday.
The Beavers returned to Corvallis reeling after a two-game losing streak and a lackluster performance at the three-day Round Rock Classic after the Minnesota Golden Gophers delivered them a stunning 10-4 loss Sunday afternoon at Dell Diamond.
The seventh-ranked Beavers (5-2) lost back-to-back games to Oklahoma and Minnesota by a combined score of 18-8 after starting the tournament with a convincing victory over No. 2 Virginia. The offense struggled, the bullpen stumbled, and the defense sank.
It was especially disappointing that the Golden Gophers (2-4), who had lost four straight games and had scored two runs or fewer in three of their previous five games, did not show up.
OSU coach Mitch Canham stated, “I suppose you could call it a wake-up call.” However, we look for methods to ensure that we maintain our humility every single day. “You’re not going to win them all,” they remark. However, I hope to win them all.
With a deep, hard-throwing pitching staff and a tenacious, star-studded offense, the Beavers had already won five straight games going into the weekend. But in Round Rock, Texas, the early-season magic vanished.
Through six innings, the offense produced just four hits, all of which were singles, providing starter Ethan Kleinschmit with essentially no support. Additionally, the bullpen let up eight runs when the sophomore left-hander left after five innings, partly due to two costly mistakes, as the Golden Gophers appeared to be the superior, more experienced squad.
The sixth inning, in which reliever Kellan Oakes toiled through a forgettable performance, was the most expensive. Following a frustrating pattern that began in Saturday’s loss to the Sooners, the junior right-hander walked Easton Richter on five pitches, and things took a turn for the worst.
The Golden Gophers quickly accumulated four singles, two walks, and an indiscretion by third baseman Trent Caraway to score five runs and grab a decisive 7-1 lead. Jameson Martin hit a two-run home run to left and Josh Fitzgerald slapped a two-run single to left, but the biggest swings came with two outs. After giving up five unearned runs in two thirds of an inning, Oakes failed to go past the sixth.
When Caraway ripped an RBI double to the left field corner and Aiva Arquette clobbered a two-run bomb to right-center in the bottom of the seventh, the Beavers bats finally came alive, cutting the score to 7-4. Arquette hit his second home run in as many games and his third of the season.
When the Golden Gophers hammered right-hander James DeCremer for three runs and four hits in the top of the eighth, the bullpen promptly blew the lead. The outburst gave Minnesota a 10-4 lead as Richter smashed a two-run single to right and Fitzgerald launched a solo home ball to left. The Beavers never threatened again.
“We didn’t play very good baseball,” Canham remarked.
Even though Kleinschmit wasn’t as sharp as he was during his six no-hit innings in his debut last week, he was still good enough to win with any kind of help.
With two outs in the fourth, he eventually gave up his first hit of the season when Jake Elbeery hoisted a flare to left that fell at Gavin Turley’s feet. Turley did not try a diving catch. Drew Berkland hit a two-run homer off the end of the bat to right two pitches later, with the score at 0-2. The ball went just over the fence and inside the foul pole.
After five innings in which he recorded seven strikeouts and gave up two singles and three walks, Kleinschmit (1-1) left the game with a 2-1 deficit. From there, the bullpen let things to get out of control.
The Oregon State relievers, who had given up seven runs in the first five games, gave up 12 runs on 12 hits and seven walks in the two weekend losses. A shockingly hot-and-cold attack and a suddenly vulnerable defense could have been helpful to them. However, Canham and pitching coach Rich Dorman will undoubtedly reevaluate their bullpen arm stacking when they return to Corvallis for a four-day break between Texas games.
Canham stated after Saturday’s defeat that he anticipated the Beavers would wake up after being hit in the chest. On Sunday, they apparently pressed the snooze button.
According to Canham, there’s always something to learn. Getting punched once might not always be sufficient. To truly shake you and get moving, you may need to take a couple of blows.
As he said that, Canham mentioned that his players were going to the Dell Diamond locker room for a private discussion without their coach, one that might, just might, help them get out of their humiliating two-game slump.
According to Canham, they get to be the ones who mobilize the troops. I prefer it to sting a little bit when there are a few days in between games. They will therefore sense it during the bus and plane travel home. I hope it only makes fire. Without a doubt, we possess the talent. It all comes down to execution.
Next up: The Beavers take on Baylor in the College Baseball Series opener in Arlington, Texas, on Friday at 5 p.m.
503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman|@freemanjoe.bsky.social| Joe Freeman|[email protected]| Get the newest news and the best stories by subscribing to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts.
