PULLMAN, Wash. – Oregon State hit four home runs, including three in the first inning, en route to a 13-3 win over Washington State Friday afternoon at Bailey-Brayton Field.
The game marked the Pac-12 Conference opener for both teams. With the win, Oregon State improved to 10-1 on the year while Washington State dropped to 7-6.
Justin Boyd put the Beavers on a board with a three-run home run in the first, which was followed by a solo shot by Jacob Melton, his first of two long balls on the day. Gavin Logan, who set a career-best with four hits, also hit a two-run blast for the Beavers in the first, who ended the frame with an 8-0 lead.
Melton’s second blast of the day came in the eighth, and drove in two to give OSU a 10-run advantage.
The four home runs mark a season high for the Beavers, and most as a team since May 16, 2021 at Arizona State.
Logan ended his day with two singles, double and home run. He was backed by Meckler, Boyd, Melton and Travis Bazzana who all had two hits. OSU’s top four batters combined to go 8-for-16 with eight RBI.
Cooper Hjerpe started and went 5 1/3 innings for the Beavers, picking up the win to improve to 4-0 this season. The lefty got into a bit of a jam in the first two innings, allowing three runs. He settled down over the back end of his start, retiring the last eight batters he faced.
Hjerpe struck out five, giving him 32 in 21 2/3 innings this season.
Washington State starter McKabe Cottrell took the loss for WSU, dropping to 1-3 on the year. He allowed nine runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Next Up
Oregon State and Washington State continue their three-game series Saturday at Bailey-Brayton Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. PT.
Game Notes
- Oregon State batted first for first time this season. The game marked the Beavers’ eighth away from home but the first as the visiting team.
- OSU wore its gray uniforms for the first time.
- The Beavers last hit three home runs in the same inning May 15, 2018 versus San Diego. Adley Rutschman, Trevor Larnach and Troy Claunch all homered in the second in a 19-6 win over the Toreros.
- Wade Meckler, Travis Bazzana, Justin Boyd and Jacob Melton have all reached base safely in every game this season. The Beavers are the only team in the Pac-12 who has four players who have consecutive streaks of 10 or more games.
- Boyd and Melton have both hit safely in all 11. Boyd’s stretches to 15 games dating back to 2021 while Melton is now at 13.
- Oregon State improved to 11-1-1 in its last 13 games versus the Cougars.
- The four hits set a career-best for Gavin Logan, who had, leading up to Friday’s game, posted two in a game four times.
- Logan also set a career-best for RBI.
- The win marked the Beavers’ first in a Pac-12 opener since the 2018 season when defeating California, 4-3.
- Friday marked the Beavers’ first 10-plus run game in a conference opener since 2006 when defeating Arizona, 10-5.