Lennerton Hits Double, Home Run As Beavers Sweep Pacific
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Jordan Lennerton homered in his final home game at Goss Stadium as the Oregon State baseball team finished a sweep of Pacific with a 2-0 victory in front of a crowd of 2,075 on Sunday.
The game marked the season finale for the Beavers, who finished 28-24 overall. They will now wait until Monday morning to await their postseason fate. ESPN will announce the 64-team NCAA Tournament field at 9:30 a.m. PT.
“This is a good way to end the regular season and send our seniors out with a victory,” head coach Pat Casey said. “Now we need to wait and see what happens Monday morning.”
On Sunday, the Beavers utilized a strong effort by the team’s pitching staff and crisp defense. Timely hitting also helped Oregon State, which swept its first series of the season.
Lennerton swung the bat well in his final regular season home game for the Beavers. After doubling to the right centerfield gap in the fifth inning, he added a home run in the seventh off Tigers’ pitcher Tyler Waldron. The two hits gave Lennerton his 11th multi-hit game of the season and 16 home runs in his Oregon State career.
Greg Peavey made his fifth start of the season for the Beavers and shut down Pacific over 5 1/3 innings. Peavey held the Tigers scoreless while striking out six before giving way to Kraig Sitton in the sixth. The six strikeouts are Peavey’s highest total since his March 2nd outing against Georgia, where he totaled seven over 6 1/3 innings.
Sitton picked up the win after going 1 2/3 innings. He improved to 2-0 this season after allowing one hit and striking out one.
Kevin Rhoderick saved his 12th game of the season after working the final two innings, slamming the door on Pacific. He struck out three.
Seniors John Wallace and Drew George recorded a triple and double, respectively, in their final regular season starts for the Beavers. Wallace’s hit came in the sixth inning on a triple down the right field line and set up the Beavers’ first run as he scored from third on Ryan Ortiz’s single in the next at bat.
Pacific threatened to take the lead in the fifth inning, as John Joines and Brett Manning both reached to start the inning. After a sacrifice bunt, Peavey and the Beavers found themselves facing runners on second and third with one out. However, the OSU right-hander remained focused and induced a ground ball to third base, where George was able to throw home and cut down the runner on third. Peavey then struck out Mike Walker to end the threat.
The Beavers escaped another threat in the sixth as Sitton came into the game with runners on first and second with one out. Sitton struck out Brian Martin to record the second out of the inning. With two outs, Joey Wong ranged to his right and made a strong throw to first to throw out Joines and end the Tiger threat. By leaving the two runners on base, Sitton has now stranded 24 of the 32 baserunners he has inherited this season.
Sitton has not allowed an earned run in his last 7 2/3 innings.
With a one out triple down the right field line, Wallace gave the Beavers an opportunity in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ortiz put Oregon State on the board in the next at bat, stroking a single into left field to score Wallace and give Ortiz his 55th RBI of the season.
Oregon State added to the lead the very next inning as Lennerton hit a blast over the left-center field fence for his sixth home run of the year, making the score 2-0 in favor of OSU.
Waldron was the pitcher of record for Pacific. The loss dropped his record to 3-7 this season season.
The game marked the end of the regular season for the Beavers. Oregon State must now await its postseason fate. The 64-team NCAA Tournament will be announced at 9:30 a.m. PT Monday morning on ESPN.
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OSU Notes: Prior to the game, the Beavers honored 12 seniors ... Pitchers Mike Stutes and Reed Brown, catcher Erik Ammon, infielders Lonnie Lechelt, Jordan Lennerton and Drew George and outfielders Chris Hopkins, Braden Wells and Daniel Robertson were honored ... Also honored was undergraduate assistant coach Casey Priseman, who played for OSU from 2005-06, manager Peter Hughes and assistant athletic trainer Shawn Werner... Drew George showed off his range in the first inning, saving a run by making a diving stop down the third baseline and throwing out Pacific’s Mike Walker at first to strand a runner on second base... Daniel Robertson also flashed some leather in the second by tracking down a deep fly ball and snagging it with an over-the-shoulder catch... Kevin Rhoderick stranded his ninth inherited runner of the season after coming in with a man on first in the eighth inning... With his outing, Peavey lowered his ERA by .6 runs and now has it at 4.96.
