A wide grin stretched across Mason Guerra’s face as soon as he heard the question Tuesday night, and it lingered for a few seconds, almost as if he was savoring the moment.
The Oregon State baseball team had just defeated the Oregon Ducks 11-6 at Goss Stadium, beating their rivals for the third time in four meetings this season, and Guerra was asked if taking down his in-state foes offered extra satisfaction.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said through that grin. “I mean, it’s a little extra. It means a little something more when you play the Ducks, for sure. Being able to beat them three out of four times feels real good.”
It certainly didn’t hurt that Guerra had a memorable performance, belting two home runs to help the Beavers break open an early slugfest and win for the 13th time in the last 15 games. His offensive eruption was the exclamation point on a game that featured plenty of fireworks — both on the field and off it — as 15th-ranked Oregon State (31-13) defeated 17th-ranked Oregon (30-14) for the eighth time in the last two seasons.
The teams combined to score 16 runs over the first four innings — plating at least one run in each of the first eight frames — as the game resembled a beer league softball game early on. By the end, Oregon and Oregon State had mashed 24 hits, including three homers and eight doubles, as 16 of 18 starters finished with at least one hit.
Drew Cowley, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week, ignited the fireworks by blasting a two-run home run to right field in the top of the first inning to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead. But it didn’t last long, as the Beavers answered with a run in the bottom of the first and three more in the bottom of the second, snatching a 4-3 lead on a Garret Forrester two-run single up the middle.
It was part of a seesaw first three innings that saw the Beavers ultimately gain the upper hand for good with a five-run third. The game-changing inning featured four consecutive RBI doubles, as Dallas Macias, Tanner Smith, Kyle Dernedde and Travis Bazzana sprayed the ball all over Goss. The barrage helped Oregon State build a 9-5 lead and it never looked back, riding another strong performance by the bullpen to another win over the Ducks.
After Justin Thorsteinson and David Grewe allowed six runs on eight hits, Tyler Mejia, Aiden Jimenez and Ben Ferrer held the Ducks’ potent offense at bay. The trio of relievers surrendered just four hits — and no runs — while recording nine strikeouts over the final five innings.
“They did a great job,” OSU coach Mitch Canham said. “They were rolling, they were filling up the zone with strikes.”
Meanwhile, few Oregon State batters missed strikes at the plate. Eight of the Beavers’ nine starters recorded a hit and seven drove in a run. Bazzana extended his hitting streak to 12 games, finishing 2 for 5 with three runs scored, one RBI and one stolen base — his Pac-12-leading 27th of the season — and Forrester went 3 for 4 with three RBIs.
Then there was Guerra, who smoked solo home runs to deep left-center field in the fourth and sixth innings, producing the final runs of the game. He finished 2 for 4 with a walk and the two homers, giving him five in the last seven games. It was the first multi-homer game of his career.
After the game, as Guerra strolled off the field toward the clubhouse in left field, he toted a trio of bats over his shoulder. When someone asked which bat had done the damage, he pointed to a black one.
“That’s the good one right there,” he said.
His first blast sailed 430 feet. His second went 11 feet farther.
They were the highlights of another explosive offensive performance by the red-hot Beavers, who have reached double figures in scoring and hits in nine of the last 14 games — including three in a row. The double-digit outburst Tuesday night was historic. Oregon State, which defeated the Ducks 12-2 on April 9 to win the three-game series in Eugene, has scored 10 or more runs against their rivals in back-to-back games. It’s the first time either team has scored in double digits in consecutive games since 1977.
“We’re firing off on all cylinders right now,” Guerra said. “I feel like there’s not a lead that we can’t come back from. We’re just real confident as a unit right now.”
The emotional game did not end without drama, however. After Ferrer polished off the last out, striking out Drew Smith on three pitches, he glared at the Ducks dugout and delivered a few choice words.
Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski took exception to Ferrer’s taunts and exchanged words with Canham near home plate as the coaching staffs shook hands after the game. The coaches had an extended and animated conversation that ended only after their assistants sidestepped them and shook hands.
When asked later about the postgame chat, Canham took the high road, refusing to divulge details.
“Just having a conversation,” Canham said. “I mean it’s competition. Guys are going to get fiery from both sides and both of our jobs are to take care of our guys and our attitudes and our dugouts. Just touching base there at the end.”
— Joe Freeman reported from Corvallis
jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
