Oregon State
5-3
Kansas State
3-4
Beavers' Offense Breaks Out To End San Diego Trip With A Win
February 26, 2012 | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2012
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Danny Hayes hit a grand slam and Jake Rodriguez and Michael Conforto also hit home runs as the 21st-ranked Oregon State baseball team wrapped up its trip to San Diego with a 13-5 win over Kansas State Sunday at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Hayes capped off the Beavers' offensive afternoon with a two-out grand slam in the sixth that pushed OSU to an 11-4 lead. It was his first home run of the season and the Beavers' first grand slam since John Wallace hit one against Oregon on April 28, 2009.
Rodriguez and Conforto, meanwhile, jumped the Beavers (5-3 overall) to a 6-0 lead after three innings with their round trippers. Rodriguez hit his first shot of the season in the second, highlighting the Beavers' four-run frame.
Conforto stroked his second home run of the season in the third. A two-run shot, it found the batter's eye in straightaway center field, just above the "Tony Gwynn Stadium" script on the fence.
Tyler Smith led the Beavers with a 3-for-5 day, while Rodriguez, Ryan Barnes and Ryan Dunn all had two hits for the Beavers, who finished with 13 overall.
Barnes had two RBI for the Beavers, as did Conforto, to trail Hayes' team-leading four. John Tommasini, who was 1-for-2, also drove in two.
Kansas State (3-4) scored two runs in both the third and fourth innings to pull within two, 6-4, but the Beavers added one in the fifth to take a three-run lead. That led to the Beavers' six-run sixth inning with every run unearned and coming with two outs.
Riley Wilkerson made the start for the Beavers but did not figure in the decision after leaving in the third. He went two full innings, scattering five hits and two runs.
Matt Boyd got the win in relief of Wilkerson. Boyd worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and three runs while walking four and striking out two. He improved to 2-0 this season.
Kansas State's starter, Jared Moore, also failed to make it out of the third. He went two full, allowing six hits and six runs to drop to 0-1 this season.
Jake Brown, Jared King, RJ Santigate and Wade Hinkle all had two hits to tie for the Kansas State team lead. Hinkle hit a solo home run off Boyd in the seventh.
Oregon State makes the trek to Surprise, Ariz., beginning Thursday at the Coca Cola Classic. The Beavers will play through Sunday with every game slated for a 10 a.m. PT start (11 a.m. in Arizona). Each game will be available on the Beaver Sports Radio Network.
For more information on the Oregon State baseball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/Beaver_Baseball.
OSU Notes: Tyler Smith made his first career start in center field ... Jake Rodriguez's second-inning home run was his first of the season and second of his career ... The Beavers or their opponent scored in double figures in each of the four games in San Diego.
Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. Former Student-Athletes are invited to join the Varsity O Facebook Page for upcoming Alumni events.
Follow Oregon State Athletics On YouTube.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Boyd, Matt (2-0)
L: Moore, Jared (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Barnes, Ryan 1 ; Smith, Tyler 1
HR: Conforto, Michael 1 ; Rodriguez, Jake 1 ; Hayes, Danny 1
RBI: Barnes, Ryan 2 ; Smith, Tyler 1 ; Conforto, Michael 2 ; Rodriguez, Jake 1 ; Hayes, Danny 4 ; Tommasini, John 2
SH: Tommasini, John 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Barnes, Ryan 1 ; Smith, Tyler 1 ; Dunatov, Jordan 2 ; Conforto, Michael 2 ; Rodriguez, Jake 2 ; Hayes, Danny 2 ; Dunn, Ryan 2 ; Tommasini, John 1
SB: Barnes, Ryan 1
HBP: Barnes, Ryan 1 ; Conforto, Michael 1 ; Tommasini, John 1
Batting:
2B: King, Jared 1
HR: Kindel, Mike 1
RBI: King, Jared 1 ; Hinkle, Wade 2 ; Kindel, Mike 1
SH: Brown, Jake 1 ; Witt, Tanner 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kivett, Ross 1 ; Brown, Jake 2 ; Kindel, Mike 1 ; Giller, Matt 1
