CORVALLIS, Ore. – Portland scored first but then Oregon State took control and cruised to an 11-3 victory Tuesday night in a non-conference baseball game at Goss Stadium. The Pilots fall to 18-18 overall, while the Beavers improve to 25-10 on the season.
Pilot freshman designated hitter Sean Mulcare recorded his first home run of the season with a towering two-run blast in the ninth to highlight the night for Portland.
Freshmen Jake Holcroft and Sam Brown recorded two hits each, but that was all the Pilots could muster against five Oregon State pitchers.
Portland right-hander Jacob Dobmeier (0-3) took the loss after going 3.2 innings and surrendering six hits and three earned runs while striking out six.
Nathan Burns (1-0) earned the win with 2.1 innings of perfect relief with three strikeouts.
Portland took the early lead after Holcroft led off the game with a single and came around to score on Ben Patacsil's sacrifice fly.
The Beavers tied it in the second on a Greg Fuchs RBI-single and then took the lead for good on Matthew Gretler's two-run homer in the fourth.
Fuchs finished 3-for-4 while Gretler, Joe Casey and Gavin Logan each added two hits apiece.
The Beavers gained 13-5 edge in hits and left 12 runners on base compared to six stranded runners for the Pilots. Both teams committed two errors.
Portland will return to West Coast Conference play with a three-game road series against the San Francisco Dons beginning on Friday at 3 p.m. For complete series information, game times and live coverage, visit PortlandPilots.com.
