Meckler’s Homer Sends Beavers To 9-7 Win

Meckler’s blast, coming on a 3-1 pitch from USC reliever Garrett Clarke, went over the right field fence and capped an offensive night for the Beavers that also saw home runs from Jake Dukart and Greg Fuchs and six total extra-base hits.

Will Frisch, the Beavers’ second pitcher of the night, worked 4 2/3 innings, holding the Trojans to just one hit and two walks with three strikeouts. He earned the win, improving to 3-0, while Joey Mundt picked up his second save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning.

Dukart’s second home run of the season spotlighted a five-run second for Oregon State (31-14 overall, 13-7 Pac-12 Conference), which found itself down 2-0 after 1 ½ innings. Up 5-2 in the third, the Beavers added two more on Fuchs’ second home run of the season, pushing the lead to five.

That didn’t last long, however, as USC (19-21, 7-13) scored five of its own in the fourth to tie the game.

Neither team managed to push a run across after that until Meckler’s two-run shot.

Dukart went 3-for-4 to lead the nine-hit attack. Meckler and Andy Armstrong each had two.

Clarke took the loss for USC, dropping to 3-2 on the year. He allowed two hits and two runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. Oregon State’s Cooper Hjerpe allowed nine hits and seven runs in 3 1/3 innings while his counterpart, Chandler Champlain, gave up seven runs on seven hits. He also pitched 3 1/3 innings.

Next Up

Oregon State and USC conclude the three-game series with a Sunday matchup at 12:05 p.m. PT.

Notables

- Frisch retired the first batter he faced for the sixth time in eight relief outings this season.

- Frisch has held opponents scoreless over his last 12 innings over four appearances. He has allowed just two hits with three walks and 11 strikeouts over that stretch.

- Frisch has now inherited 10 runners this season, with three scoring. The 10 are tied for third-most among Oregon State’s relievers.

- Troy Claunch’s second-inning RBI double pushed his hit streak to six games.