The best hitting team in the West Coast Conference battered the best pitching team in the Pac-12 Conference Tuesday night.
The Portland Pilots pounded the 10th-ranked Oregon State Beavers 14-8 in a midweek matchup at Goss Stadium, earning their first victory in Corvallis since 2006.
The Pilots (27-20) ended a 16-game losing streak at Goss in emphatic fashion, mashing 20 hits, including seven that went for extra bases, as six Portland players finished with multi-hit nights. The Beavers (36-16) surrendered their most runs and hits in a game this season.
The scoring flurry started early, as the Pilots recorded four hits and sent seven batters to the plate in the top of the first inning. One was Briley Knight, who hit a two-run single to center field to give Portland an early 2-0 lead. The Pilots went on to score in six different innings, putting up crooked numbers in all but three innings they batted.
Christian Cooney finished with a career-high four hits, including a home run and a double, scored four runs and produced two RBIs. Four other Pilots finished with three-hit nights, including Evan Scavotto (3 for 4, homer, double, three RBIs), Jake Holcroft (3 for 5, two doubles, four RBIs), Knight (3 for 5, double, two RBIs) and Tyler Howard (3 for 5, two RBIs).
It was an impressive outing for a team that entered the game leading the WCC in batting average (.301) and total hits (495), while ranking second in doubles (106) and runs (330).
Aiden Jimenez (3-2), who made his first career start, took the loss for the Beavers, allowing five hits and five runs in two innings. He was one of six Oregon State pitchers who threw Tuesday and five of them surrendered runs.
The Beavers’ offense tried to keep things interesting, trimming a 10-3 deficit to 10-6 with a three-run sixth inning. But it was too little, too late as the Pilots earned their fourth win of the season against a ranked team, including the third against an opponent in the top 10.
Travis Bazzana continued his torrid hitting in defeat, going 1 for 3 with a two-run homer and two walks. Bazzana has belted a home run in five in his last six games, including three in a row. Micah McDowell added a solo home run in the third for the Beavers, who finished with just five hits.
Next up: The Beavers open a three-game series against Western Carolina Thursday night at 5:35 in Corvallis, while the Pilots open a three-game series at San Francisco Thursday at 1 p.m.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
