If an outsider were to have watched yesterday’s matchup between No. 17 Oregon and Oregon State, they likely would have guessed that it was the Ducks, and not the Beavers, who won back-to-back College World Series from 2006-07.
Oregon looked that good against its in-state rival, pounding out 11 hits in a 9-4 victory.
As for the Beavers? It was a night that head coach Pat Casey would rather forget.
“We didn’t perform well,” Casey said. “We just obviously can’t make the mistakes (we made): not catching fly balls, not catching routine ground balls, not communicating, leaving two-strike pitches in the middle of the plate. Can’t do those things.”
Indeed, only five of the nine runs Oregon State gave up were earned, and the Ducks scored in just about every way possible. Right fielder Dylan Jones and center fielder Adalberto Santos collided while attempting to make a catch, an Oregon runner was allowed to score by “fielder indifference,” and pitcher Tyler Waldron even balked in a run.
“They let some things get away from them,” Oregon head coach George Horton said. “That’s uncharacteristic of coach Casey’s club … I’m sure in our future four games they’ll play better defense than they played tonight.”
Such sloppy play is certainly uncharacteristic of an Oregon State team that was ranked as high as No. 17 earlier in the season. When asked if the mistakes are more mental than anything else, Casey hesitated.
“I don’t know,” Casey said. “Just didn’t have a good inning … got behind, and I just hope our guys remember the way it was handled, remember the things that happened in the game. We played a good team, no doubt about it.”
Third baseman Stefen Romero was more direct when asked about the team’s mental state.
“It’s a lot mental,” Romero said. “You want the ball hit to you, you want to make the big play, and you know, I guess guys are trying to press just a little bit too much, trying to do more than they really can.”
Romero did his part, going 3 for 5 with a run and RBI. It was clear that others were pressing, however, as the Beavers left 11 runners on base. Further adding to the contrast between the two teams, Oregon stranded just two men on the base paths.
For Romero, the solution is simple.
“Just go out and have fun,” Romero said. “Play loose, that’s all we have to do.”
The team will have the chance to do just that as it heads to Berkeley, Calif. for a series against California this weekend.
“Excited about the Cal series,” Casey said. “Gotta play better baseball. I’m excited about getting down there and playing them. I think we’ve got a better team than the way we’ve played in the last couple of weeks, and we’ve gotta do it between the white lines.”
If the Beavers are to make a late-season climb up the standings, it will be imperative that they execute their talking points.
“We can talk about it all we want,” Casey said. “But if we don’t do it, it doesn’t make any difference. We’ve just got to get more competitive.”
Casey and his team will have some time to improve their play before meeting the Ducks again on May 7. As Horton alluded to, it is unlikely that the Beavers will come out flat-footed again.
“We’ll have a chance again,” Casey said as the interview came to a close. “We’ll get another opportunity.”
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