The Oregon State Beavers’ bats finally awoke from their winter hibernation Sunday at the Sanderson Ford Baseball Classic.
After slumbering through their first two games with pedestrian performances at the plate, the Beavers’ lineup came to life in a 14-6 victory over the New Mexico Lobos at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona.
The Beavers (2-1) roughed up New Mexico pitching for 15 hits, including six that went for extra bases, and scored runs in their final four frames to cruise to their most convincing victory of the young season. Oregon State produced more runs and hits Sunday than they had in the first two games (10 runs, 12 hits) combined.
It took a few innings — the Beavers trailed 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth — but they finally shook off their sluggish start to 2023 with a big sixth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring five runs. Ruben Cedillo and Garret Forrester belted run-scoring doubles, Travis Bazzana smacked an RBI triple and Micah McDowell drove in a run with a single in the game-changing inning.
The Lobos (2-1), who beat Oregon State 7-2 in Friday’s season opener, responded with a pair of runs in the seventh off erratic relievers Victor Quinn and Tyler Mejia, evening the score at 6-6. It looked like the inning would be much worse for the Beavers, but right-handed submariner AJ Hutcheson ended the threat with a dominant performance out of the bullpen.
After entering the game with runners on the corners and one out, Hutcheson forced cleanup hitter Braydon Runion into a popup, then struck out slugger Reed Spenrath on six pitches, punctuating the clutch performance with a loud scream and flex as he sauntered to the home dugout.
Forrester hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, crushing a ball to deep center over a 400-foot marker sign, then the Beavers erupted for seven runs in the eighth to put the game away. Catcher Tanner Smith had the loudest hit in the eighth, thumping a grand slam to left.
Hutcheson (1-0) earned the win for the Beavers, striking out four over 2 2/3 shutout innings. The 5-foot-11 freshman has arguably been the Beavers’ most impressive pitcher through three games, rivaling closer Ryan Brown. In two appearances, Hutcheson has recorded seven strikeouts — without allowing a hit or a walk — in 4 2/3 innings.
It was a coin flip Sunday whether Hutcheson’s performance — or that of the offense — was the biggest development.
Nine Beavers had a hit against New Mexico, eight scored a run and seven drove in a run. Forrester went 3 for 4 with a homer, double, three RBIs and three runs scored, Bazzana finished 3 for 6 with a triple and two RBIs, and McDowell had three hits and a walk in the leadoff spot.
Next up: The Beavers play UC Santa Barbara at noon Monday in the finale of the four-day tournament in Surprise.
