The Oregon State baseball team had the old good news, bad news situation Friday night.
The good news: The Beavers’ bats had another solid and encouraging performance, proving perhaps once and for all the lineup’s March slump is over.
The bad news: It did not come in a win.
The Beavers suffered a tough 9-8 loss to No. 9 Stanford Cardinal at Sunken Diamond, dropping an entertaining opener of a three-game series between the pair of Pac-12 powers.
The biggest surprise in the defeat, which sent Oregon State (12-6, 1-3 Pac-12) tumbling down to eighth place in the conference standings, was that the most reliable part of the team — and one of its most dependable players — spurred the defeat.
With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, OSU starter Trent Sellers beaned Braden Montgomery and gave up a single to Malcom Moore with one out, prompting pitching coach Rich Dorman to pull Sellers in favor of preseason All-American reliever Ben Ferrer, the heartbeat of the pitching staff.
The reigning first-team all-Pac-12 pitcher, who had not allowed a run this season entering the game, promptly coughed up the lead — and then some — surrendering three consecutive singles and an Eddie Park grand slam to right field.
The Beavers’ bullpen had been nails all season and especially dominant in March, compiling a 4-0 record with a 1.36 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings. But in short order, the Cardinal dismissed that dominance, touching Ferrer up for four runs (not including the pair of inherited runners from Sellers) on four hits in 2/3 of an inning to take a commanding 9-3 lead.
Stanford (11-6, 2-2), which entered the game leading the Pac-12 in runs and home runs, pounded out 10 hits, including two homers, as all nine starters recorded at least one hit.
The Beavers, who broke out of a March slump with eight hits and 12 runs in a midweek win over Nevada on Wednesday, did not roll over against the preseason Pac-12 favorites, however, battling back behind a resurgent outing from Ruben Cedillo and another strong night from Mason Guerra.
Cedillo belted two home runs, including a towering grand slam high into the left field trees in the seventh, in his most encouraging performance of the season. The transfer outfielder from Linn-Benton Community College, who had just one hit in previous 16 at-bats entering the game, also hit a solo homer in the fourth and finished 2 for 5 with five RBIs and two runs scored.
Guerra, meanwhile, went 2 for 4 with a home run, double, two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk. His homer, a blast to dead center, came with one out in the ninth inning and brought the Beavers to within one run. But Garret Forrester struck out looking and Cedillo hit a ball to the warning track in right field to end the rally — and the game — sending the Beavers to their fourth loss in the last five games.
Sellers (2-2) pitched well for five innings, but took the loss, surrendering five runs on six hits, while striking out four, over 5 1/3 innings.
Next up: Oregon State and Stanford play Game 2 of the three-game set at 5 p.m Saturday. The game will air live on the Pac-12 Networks.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
