Casey, Malone Lead Oregon State In Win Over Indiana

SEATTLE – Joe Casey hit his first career home run and Tyler Malone drove in a pair of runs in the Beavers’ three-run fourth inning to send Oregon State to an 8-3 win over Indiana Saturday at T-Mobile Park.

Casey hit a solo shot in the fourth to pull the Beavers and Hoosiers into a 2-2 tie. Malone later drove in a pair with a double in the gap in left to put Oregon State up for good.

The offense, with the Beavers recording 11 hits on the day, came in support of starter Bryce Fehmel. The senior recorded his fourth quality start of the year, and allowed three runs on five hits with six strikeouts in six innings. He exited with a runner on in the seventh and won his third game of the season and 29th of his career.

Malone led the Beavers with three RBI, and was 2-for-4. Alex McGarry, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Ober all had two hits as well.

Up 4-2 after the three-run fourth, the Beavers (12-1 overall) tacked on solo insurance runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Zak Taylor hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to make it 5-2. Preston Jones then drove in the Beavers’ sixth run via a groundout to short the following inning.

Indiana (7-6) made it a three-run game in the seventh via one run off Fehmel but reliever Dylan Pearce shut the door on the Hoosiers with a pair of flyouts and a strikeout.

The Beavers chased Indiana starter Tanner Gordon after 4 1/3 innings. The righty scattered seven hits and five runs – four earned – with five strikeouts and five walks. He was charged with the loss and is 0-3 on the year.

Indiana led off the game with a two-run home run from Matt Lloyd in the first. OSU answered with a run in the second that saw Indiana commit two errors on a ground ball off the bat of Andy Armstrong.

Next Up

Oregon State concludes its trip to T-Mobile Park Sunday when taking on Coastal Carolina. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. PT.

TV Sunday

Sunday’s game will be the first Beaver game to be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network this season. Rich Burk and Kevin Stocker will be on the call.

Sole Possession Of Fourth

Bryce Fehmel’s win Saturday was his third of the season and 29th of his career. That moves him into sole possession of fourth in the Oregon State record books. He now trails Luke Heimlich (36 wins from 2015-18), Ben Wetzler (36 wins from 2011-14) and Ken Noble (30 wins from 1975-78).

Ober In The Lineup

Ryan Ober made his first start at second base since the third game of the season versus Minnesota. The sophomore proceeded to slice a single to right in the center, then singled up the middle on a hit and run with Preston Jones in the fifth.

Mulholland Shuts The Door

Junior lefty Jake Mulholland came on to face a bases-loaded situation in the eighth and ended the frame with a flyout to left by Indiana’s Scotty Bradley. Mulholland earned his second save of the season and 24th of his career. He is third in Oregon State history, trailing Kevin Gunderson (37 saves from 2004-06) and Kevin Rhoderick (25 from 2008-10).

Sunday Vs. Coastal

Sunday’s game will mark the first matchup ever featuring the Beavers and Coastal Carolina, which won the 2016 national championship. The Chanticleers opened the weekend ranked in all six polls, and are as high as No. 12 by Collegiate Baseball.

Trailing First

Indiana scored first, in the first inning, thanks to a two-run home run by Matt Lloyd. It marked the seventh time this season the Beavers’ opponent has scored first, and OSU is now 6-1 when that happens. Opponents scored first just 18 times in 2018, and the Beavers were 13-5.

Defense

Oregon State finished with its fourth consecutive error-free game. The Beavers are now 8-1 when going error free this season. By comparison, Indiana committed three errors, giving OSU’s opponents eight over the two games in Seattle. The Beavers are 7-0 when an opponent commits two or more errors.

At T-Mobile (And formerly Safeco)

Oregon State improved to 4-1 at T-Mobile Park since the 2007 season. The Beavers lost 6-2 to Washington at then-Safeco in 2007, before defeating the Huskies 6-4 in both 2009 and 2011.

Since 2017

Oregon State’s win pushed the Beavers’ record to 123-19-1 (.864) since the 2017 season. Oregon State is 104 games over .500 during that stretch.