No. 8 Oregon State baseball stays hot, beats Washington State for 6th win in a row

One towering home run and two clutch bullpen performances added up to just enough for six in a row.

Jacob Krieg hit a go-ahead two-run home run and relievers AJ Hutcheson and Wyatt Queen combined to toss 6 1/3 scoreless innings Tuesday to lead the Oregon State baseball team to a 4-3 win over the Washington State Cougars at Goss Stadium.

It was the sixth consecutive win for the eighth-ranked Beavers (12-3), who have swept their first two home series of the season.

A day after erupting for 15 runs and 10 hits, the Oregon State lineup was mostly muzzled by the Cougars (5-12), managing a season-low three hits in a game played under a steady downpour. The Beavers were out-hit nine to three and finished just 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position, which helped Washington State build an early 3-0 lead.

But three hits proved to be the perfect amount.

Catcher Bryce Hubbard opened OSU’s scoring in the fourth inning, sending a sacrifice fly to left field to score Krieg. An inning later, Tyce Peterson bashed an RBI double down the left line, bringing Aiva Arquette home to trim the Cougars’ lead to 3-2.

The one-run deficit held until the seventh, when Krieg stepped to the plate with two outs and Peterson on third base. The player affectionate called “Bonk” by his teammates lived up to his nickname two pitches later, bonking a 1-1 fastball 408 feet into the parking lot in left-center field, flipping the deficit into a 4-3 OSU lead.

Queen (1-0) took over from there, facing one over the minimum in the final two innings to earn his first win of his OSU career. The talented 6-2 sophomore right-hander finished with five strikeouts and allowed three hits during three impressive innings against the Cougars, lowering his ERA to 1.93.

Hutcheson also was dominant on Wednesday, surrendering just one hit and recording three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.

The impressive performances out of the bullpen continued a trend for the OSU pitching staff, which has allowed just nine runs during its five-game homestand.

Next up: The Beavers host the Grand Canyon Antelopes on Friday night at 5:35 at Goss Stadium.