Photo: OSU Athletics
SURPRISE, Ariz. – Cooper Hjerpe struck out nine in six scoreless innings and Kyle Dernedde hit his first career home run as 12th-ranked Oregon State defeated Xavier, 9-0, Friday afternoon at Surprise Stadium.
Dernedde, Jacob Melton and Justin Boyd all drove in two runs for the Beavers, who improved to 6-0 for the 19th time in school history.
Hjerpe held Xavier (0-6) to three hits and a walk in four innings, picking up his second win in his second start of the season. Hjerpe and relievers Reid Sebby, DJ Carpenter and Mitchell Verburg did not allow Xavier to put a runner in scoring position.
Hjerpe, 2-0 on the year, has struck out 17 in 11 innings this season, allowing five hits and five walks for a 0.91 WHIP.
The Beavers broke the game open late. OSU managed just two of its nine runs over the first five innings, thanks to a fielder’s choice RBI by Jacob Melton in the first and run-scoring single by Wade Meckler in the second.
TJ Wheeler made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. The Beavers then extended the lead to 5-0 with two more in the seventh. Dernedde’s two-run home run, a blast to left, highlighted the Beavers’ four-run eighth, which also saw Gavin Logan and Boyd drive in runs.
Melton tripled in the sixth to end his hit streak to eight games. Boyd later singled in the seventh to extend his to 10.
Bryce Barnett took the loss for Xavier, dropping to 0-2 on the year. He scattered one hit and two runs with four walks and four strikeouts in five innings.
Next Up
Oregon State and Xavier conclude the three-game series Saturday at Surprise Stadium. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. PT (1 p.m. in Arizona). Please note, this is a change from the game’s originally scheduled time.
Run Differential
- Oregon State has scored 78 runs through the first six games of the season, an average of 13 per game.
- Conversely, the Beavers have allowed just 17, an average of 2.8.
- That 10.2 run differential ranks the Beavers eighth nationally.
Extra Bases
- The Beavers tallied five extra-base hits in Friday’s win, giving Oregon State 27 over the first six games of the season. OSU’s pitchers have allowed just 17.
- OSU has six triples after recording two on Friday. The Beavers totaled 15 as a team all of 2021.
Scoring Position
- The Beavers were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position in Friday’s win, and are now 41-for-92 (.446) on the year.
- OSU’s opponents are 13-for-62 (.210).
Only 18
- Oregon State recorded one two-out RBI in Friday’s win, and now has 18 on the season. Matthew Gretler leads the way with four.
Pitching WHIP
- The Oregon State pitching staff lowered its WHIP to 1.36 after allowing just four hits and three walks on Friday.
- Overall, OSU’s staff has allowed 52 hits and 20 walks in 53 innings this season.
- The staff has also struck out 63, an average of 10.7 per nine innings.