CORVALLIS, Ore. – And Oregon State is on to the NCAA Super Regional round.
Michael Gretler homered, Nick Madrigal recorded four bunt singles and Steven Kwan went 3-for-4 to send top-seeded Oregon State to an 8-1 win over Yale Sunday night at Goss Stadium. The victory gave the Beavers the Corvallis Regional Championship.
Oregon State now awaits the winner of Clemson and Vanderbilt, who are playing Monday at 1 p.m. PT. As Oregon State is the No. 1 National Seed, the Beavers are guaranteed of hosting the Super Regional, which will start either Friday or Saturday.
Brandon Eisert came on in relief and picked up his fifth win of the season after limiting Yale (34-18) to four hits and two walks in 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Drew Rasmussen started for the Beavers and worked four innings, giving up five hits and a run while striking out five.
Madrigal went 4-for-4 for his 26th multi-hit game of the season. Gretler hit a three-run home run during a five-run third inning, his round-tripper highlighting the frame. Kwan, meanwhile, drove in a run in the fifth, and tallied a walk. He finished the regional with eight hits and was named its Most Outstanding Player.
Thomas Espig started for the Bulldogs and was saddled with the loss after allowing five hits and two runs in 2 2/3 innings. He dropped to 1-1 on the year.
The win pushed Oregon State to 52-4 on the season, tying the 2013 Beavers for the school’s single-season record for victories.
Super!
Oregon State has advanced to its sixth NCAA Super Regional, with each coming since 2005. The Beavers defeated USC in 2005, Stanford in 2006, Michigan in 2007 and Kansas State in 2013. OSU’s lone Super Regional loss came against Vanderbilt in 2011 in Nashville, Tenn.
Another 3K-Plus
Oregon State saw 3,456 fans at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field Sunday. Oregon State has now had 19 crowds of 3,000 or more this season. The Beavers have totaled 93,619 fans through 29 home dates this season – 30 games, with one counting as a single-ticket doubleheader. That is an average of 3,228 per home date.
17 Straight
No, not a win streak we’re talking about. The 3,456 in attendance at Sunday’s game marked Oregon State’s 17th consecutive sellout at Goss Stadium.
Make That 19
Oregon State’s win not only advanced the Beavers to the Corvallis Super Regional, but also extended the team’s win streak to 19 games, which is tied with Louisville and South Florida for the third-longest of the season. OSU’s 19-game streak is now one shy of tying Missouri for second-most, and of course, the Beavers’ 23-gamer earlier this season is the national standard.
Strikeout Record
Oregon State finished with 10 strikeouts on the night, giving the team 466 on the year, setting a new school record. The 2005 club previously held the record with 463.
All-Regional Team
Members of the Corvallis Regional All-Tournament Team.
Most Outstanding Player – Steven Kwan, Oregon State
Catcher – Adley Rutschman, Oregon State
First Base – KJ Harrison, Oregon State
Second Base – Alex Stiegler, Yale
Third Base – Michael Gretler, Oregon State
Shortstop – Cadyn Grenier, Oregon State
Outfield – Steven Kwan (Oregon State), Tim DeGraw (Yale) and Bill Schlich (Holy Cross)
Designated Hitter – Trevor Larnach, Oregon State
Pitcher – Luke Heimlich (Oregon State) and Scott Politz (Yale)