Beavers Punch Ticket to Omaha
For the first time since 2013, the Beavers are headed back to the College World Series.
The game
The Oregon State baseball team is headed back to the heartland after a 9-2 win against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Beavers have now won an unprecedented 21 games in a row, which is their second longest win streak of the year as OSU won 23 straight earlier this season.
Coming into the weekend, this was projected to be a great test for the Beavers as a very underrated SEC team was coming to town.
The result of that so called “test”?
The Beavers passed with flying colors. A+ if you will.
OSU (54-4) broke the 0-0 tie in the third inning when Steven Kwan laced a ball into centerfield to bring home Adley Rutschman who singled earlier in the third. Nick Madrigal beat out an infield single following the Kwan RBI and the stage was set for OSU’s hottest hitter.
KJ Harrison.
Harrison saw three pitches go by him, but he made Vanderbilt starter Kyle Wright pay on the fourth pitch. The junior from Hawaii sent the pitch into the newly constructed left-field bleachers to give the Beavers a 4-0 lead. The location of Saturday's home-run was just several feet away from where he hit his three run homer Friday night.
“I was just trying to be as relaxed as possible,” Harrison said on his home run. “Going into this Super Regional, we knew Vanderbilt had a lot of good arms both starting and in the bullpen. We knew the kinda guy that (Wright) was. He’s gonna be a first rounder on Monday. I went in there, and took a deep breath and competed. I told myself to relax and put a good swing on the pitch.”
Sophomore Bryce Fehmel took the bump for the Beavers, and in his first start since May 6th he delivered a performance that was perhaps the best of his career, and in doing so sent the Beavers to Omaha. He pitched a complete game for the Beavers and picked up his 5th win on the year to improve to 5-2 overall. From the opening pitch, he was in command of his slider and changeup and finished with 10 strikeouts on the night.
“We never dreamed he would go nine, and he was so good that I almost fell asleep,” Pat Casey said with a chuckle. “He was fantastic. I went out to make a change (outfield substitution), and the umpire was like 'God I hope your not taking that pitcher out.' He should be a poker player because I asked how he was doing and it was the same all the time. What a game to pitch against that club.”
When asked about his performance, Fehmel chuckled and said he really didn’t know where it came from.
“That performance came out of nowhere,” Fehmel said with a laugh. “I’ve been ready to be in this situation and getting to Omaha has been our goal the whole year, so I was ready for the moment.”
Wright got the start for the Commodores in a do-or-die situation where they needed a win to keep their season alive. He set the first six Oregon State batters down in order and looked every bit as good as advertised. However, he struggled throwing strikes in the third inning and left a ball up in the zone that Harrison sent into the bleachers.
Vanderbilt (36-25-1) broke their scoring drought in the bottom of the sixth as they added two runs via a RBI single and a fielder's choice to make the game 4-2.
OSU didn’t let off the gas pedal as they chased Wright in the seventh inning. Wright’s last pitch walked KJ Harrison with the bases loaded to bring in Cadyn Grenier. The Beavers were hardly done adding insurance as an RBI single from Trevor Larnach brought home Steven Kwan and Nick Madrigal to cap OSU’s three run seventh inning and extend the lead to 7-2.
Wright took the loss for the Commodores to fall to 5-6 on the year. He worked 6 ⅔ innings striking out eight, but he allowed five earned runs and eight hits. After Wright, Vanderbilt got their bullpen plenty of experience. Zach King came in the seventh and just worked ⅓ of an inning before getting pulled in favor of Reed Hayes who faced four batters, and gave up three hits and a walk. Hayes was then replaced by Maddux Conger in the 8th who worked 1 inning. Finally, Vanderbilt finished off the evening with Jackson Gillis.
If the Beavers had a chip on their shoulder against Vanderbilt, it may have well been a boulder as the Beavers added two more runs in the eighth inning. The two runs came via a RBI triple from Cadyn Grenier on a deep fly ball to center that was misplayed by Vandy CF Jeren Kendall to finish the scoring at 9-2.
Fehmel started the season as a starter for OSU and looked strong early in the year, but was replaced by Drew Rasmussen in the Oregon series. However, because of circumstances, the Beavers needed to turn to the former starter to get them a Saturday victory, and he delivered a performance that OSU needed for the win, and he needed for his confidence moving forward.
Player of the game x 2
KJ Harrison: 1 H, 4 RBI’s, 1 HR
Harrison was magnificent this series. He hit not one, but two three run home runs in the two games against Vanderbilt and is arguably playing his best baseball of the season as the Beavers approach Omaha. Getting hot at the right time is everything in college baseball, and if Harrison continues to see the ball this well, OSU will be an extremely tough team to beat in Omaha.
Bryce Fehmel: 9.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 10 K, 0 BB, 104 TP
What a comeback story for Bryce Fehmel. Last season he was the talk of the town after leading the team in wins. However, this year he struggled at times, and was ultimately replaced by Drew Rasmussen. But because of extenuating circumstances the Beavers had to call on him.
Bottom line?
He delivered big time and gave OSU just what they needed.
Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said that Oregon State fans should sit back and enjoy the ride with this Beaver team.
“You folks that have watched them, are in this town and are fans of the program should take advantage of this,” Corbin said. “It doesn’t happen all the time. They are putting up numbers that are tough to come by, and sitting back and watching it, it’s fascinating to watch.”
Up next:
The Beavers are now in wait-and-see mode in terms of who they will play in the opening game of the CWS. OSU will either face Cal State Fullerton or Long Beach State in their first game of the CWS. Keep an eye on tomorrow’s matchup between CSF and LBSU.
Heimlich update
It’s unclear whether or not Luke Heimlich will pitch again in an OSU uniform, and without him the Beavers need another pitcher to step up and give them big time innings. Fehmel did that and more on Saturday night. Look for him to become a member of the three day starting rotation moving forward if Heimlich doesn’t return.
When asked about whether or not Heimlich will be available for Omaha and if it would be his decision, Casey declined to comment.
Casey was asked if he wanted to have a comment on the Heimlich situation.
“I represent Oregon State’s baseball team,” Casey said. “Ed Ray represents Oregon State University.”