The Barometer Online

Issue date: 4/14/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeff Wick Junior shortstop Joey Wong hits against BYU in Oregon State's 7-6 victory Monday night.

The Beavers (20-7, 7-2) returned to Goss Stadium Monday night for the first of a two game series against a non-conference opponent in BYU (20-13, 7-5).

Traveling to Tucson, Ariz., over the weekend, Oregon State took two out of three from the Wildcats, something the club had failed to do since 1963.

Currently ranked No. 14 in the nation by Baseball America, Oregon State started the game perfect at home and 13-5 in non-conference play.

Facing the Cougars six times during Coach Casey's tenure, the Beavers have been successful in each match up. Traveling to Provo, Utah, for a two game series in 2008, the Beavers posted 37 hits while recording a team batting average of .425.

Taking the mound for his first start of the year was sophomore south-paw, Josh Osich. With six relief appearances in 2009, the Boise, Idaho, native has thrown a combined 6.0 innings, surrendering only five hits and no earned runs.

"We needed to see that he could get some innings and throw some distance," head coach Pat Casey said. "Get us some strikes and get us some good off-speed pitches."

Doing just as he was asked, Osich proved to be entirely comfortable in a starting role, earning his first win of the year while only being asked to throw four complete innings. The starter would record five strikeouts and allow three earned runs, bumping his ERA from 0.00 to 3.86.

Although victorious in the end, things looked to be going the Cougars' way early when they lit up the scoreboard first in the top of the second.

Lead off batter Steve Parker sparked a short rally with a shot off the left field fence. Well aware that each run would be crucial in this match up, the Cougars worked as a team to manufacture their first run, sacrificing Parker to third and eventually plating the senior on a one out single by right fielder Michael Bowen.

The Beavers would retire both the rally and the inning with a routine 4-6-3 double play from middle infielders John Tommasini and Joey Wong. Letting their defense spark their own rally, the Beavers would put up five runs in the bottom half of the second before BYU was even able to record an out.

Continued...

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