No. 6 Oregon State made short work of Arizona Friday night to produce a baseball regular-season finale with championship and Pac-12 tournament stakes.
The Beavers shook six Arizona pitchers for 16 hits and Jacob Kmatz pitched six superb innings in a 16-1 victory at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona.
Oregon State, winner of seven straight games, overtook Arizona for first place in the Pac-12 heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale. The Beavers (41-12, 19-9) have a half-game lead over Arizona (32-20, 19-10).
The winner of Saturday’s 6 p.m. game earns the Pac-12 regular season title and the No. 1 seed for next week’s conference tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The likely starting pitchers for Saturday’s showdown are Oregon State’s Eric Segura (6-1, 4.84 ERA) and Arizona’s Cam Walty (8-1, 2.83).
Oregon State entered this three-game series needing a sweep to win the Pac-12 championship. After defeating Arizona by scores of 9-2 and 16-1, the Beavers are one win away from their first conference championship since 2017.
The former Pac-12 leader was no match for Oregon State through two games. The Beavers scored 25 runs and drove in 30 hits against an Arizona pitching staff that ranks among the top 15 in the nation in earned run average. OSU pitchers tore through the Arizona lineup, allowing a total of 12 hits while striking out 22 in two games.
Kmatz (6-2) was brilliant during his six-inning stint, allowing one run and four hits, while striking out eight. It’s an encouraging rebound for Kmatz, who has been rocked in his last two starts.
OSU relievers Ian Lawson, Kellan Oakes and AJ Hutcheson combined to post a shutout over the final three innings. The four Beaver pitchers combined to strike out 13.
Oregon State’s offense made it comfortable for the Beaver pitching staff. Brady Kasper continued his momentum, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Mason Guerra also had three hits, while Travis Bazzana, Jabin Trosky and Easton Talt had two hits each. Gavin Turley scored four points.
Over his last six games, Kasper is 13 for 25 with four home runs and 18 RBIs.
Oregon State scored in six of nine innings and put 31 runners on base, while Arizona walked nine, hit two batters and committed four errors. The only thing Oregon State didn’t do at the plate was hit a home run, ending a streak of 10 straight games where the Beavers hit at least one home run.
OSU scored all the runs it needed in the first inning, as a Bazzana double and two errors gave the Beavers a 2-0 lead. Oregon State doubled the lead to 4-0 an inning later, thanks to runs scored on a grounder by Bazzana and a single by Micah McDowell.
Oregon State added two runs in the fifth to end the night for Arizona starter Clark Candiotti (6-3).
Once the Wildcats turned to their bullpen, the Beavers turned up the pressure. OSU scored four runs on four hits in the sixth, then added three in the seventh to take a 13-1 lead. Kasper had a two-run single in the sixth and Talt had a two-run single in the seventh.
Oregon State capped its scoring with a three-run ninth, as nine batters came to the plate to produce three singles and three walks.
Nick Daschel covers Oregon State athletics, particularly football and basketball, and can be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel.
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