Oregon State
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Kansas
King's Pinch-Hit Homer Ices Jayhawks
February 27, 2016 | Baseball
SURPRISE, Ariz. – Billy King picked a really good time for his first career home run.
The junior hit a three-run home run into the right field bullpen at Surprise Stadium to send the fifth-ranked Oregon State baseball team to a 9-3 come-from-behind win over Kansas Saturday afternoon.
With Oregon State down 2-1 with one out in the eighth inning, and with runners on first and second, King watched the first two pitches he saw from reliever Sam Gilbert go for strikes. He saw the next two go out of the zone, then drove a 2-2 waist-high pitch into the Kansas bullpen. The home run, coming in a pinch hit at bat, pushed the Beavers to a 4-2 lead.
Logan Ice tripled and Kyle Nobach doubled, each driving in runs, to send the Beavers to a five-run eighth, giving Oregon State insurance runs for relievers Bryce Fehmel and Max Engelbrekt.
The win put the Beavers at 6-1 on the year; Oregon State has now won five in-a-row.
King ended the day with a career-best four RBI after singling in a run in the Beavers' three-run ninth.
The game started off as a pitcher's duel, with the teams trading sacrifice flies early on. Kansas (2-3) pushed ahead in the seventh on an RBI single from Owen Taylor.
That RBI single drove OSU starter Travis Eckert from the game after six innings. The right-hander scattered seven hits and two runs with four strikeouts but did not figure in the decision.
The win went to Fehmel, who forced Kansas to leave two on in the seventh. The right-hander worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out two. He is now 3-0 on the year.
Left-hander Ben Krauth started for Kansas and handcuffed the Beavers through seven. He allowed one run and four hits over seven innings, striking out five. He did not figure in the decision.
Gilbert took the loss for the Jayhawks, dropping to 0-1.
The Beavers tallied 11 hits in the win, reaching double figures for the sixth time in seven games this season. King, Nobach, Nick Madrigal and Trever Morrison all had two to lead Oregon State offensively.
Oregon State completes its near two-week trip to Arizona Sunday morning when squaring off with Kansas at Surprise Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m. PT (10 a.m. in Arizona). The game can be heard on the Beaver Sports Network. Listeners in the Portland area should note that the game will air on KEX 1190 AM due to a conflict with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Single game tickets for the 2016 season are now available and can be purchased by calling 1-800-GOBEAVS or visiting beavertickets.com. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Gill Coliseum ticket office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information on the Oregon State baseball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/Beaver_Baseball, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateBaseball or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverBaseball.
