The Saturday afternoon battle between the Oregon State Beavers (9-8) and the University of Southern California Trojans (9-5) stretched into the 13th inning before the Beavers walked away victorious.

“Great win, great series win, but the job is not done yet,” head coach Mitch Canham says.

Freshman left fielder Dallas Macias or as Canham refers to him, “Superman”, proved to be the difference maker in the field for the Beavers. A leaping catch against the left field wall confused the Trojan offense and allowed the Beavers to double up the runner. 

“He’s (Macias) gonna do whatever it takes to go get that ball. Whether he’s playing in the outfield or at second base, he wants that ball so badly,” Canham said.

Although Macias was recruited as an infielder, he has found a new home under the National Championship banners in left field.

“During the fall I mostly worked at second base. It was a smooth transition to the outfield for me. Playing defensive back in football all my life made the footwork much easier,” said Macias. 

Catcher Tanner Smith played hero for the Beavers when they needed him most. Bottom of the 13th inning, Mikey Kane on second base, Smith roped a fastball into the left-center gap scoring Kane and ending the game.

“We’re finally getting into the rhythm of things,” said Smith. “We’re uniting as one and it really feels like a family here, that’s what has gotten us to be able to click on all cylinders.”

“When we won that doubleheader in Washington,” said Smith on where he felt the turning point in the season was. “There was a feeling in the clubhouse of, we’re here and we’re ready to swing the bat. Things are clicking.”

Throughout the afternoon, the Trojan hitters were stymied by the Beaver bullpen. Four relief pitchers would enter the game and combined for an impressive display of pitching prowess – eight innings, three hits, 10 strikeouts, and zero earned runs. 

The 6-3 right-hander Jacob Kmatz got off to a slow start. However, Kmatz would find his groove tossing five innings with four strikeouts, four walks, and two earned runs.

Closer Ryan Brown came in to shut the door for the Beavers. Facing only three Trojan batters and striking out one, Brown would secure the win with his solid performance on the bump.

The Beavers now sit one game over .500 and are currently in sixth place in the PAC-12 standings.  

Up next the Beavers look to sweep the home series against the Trojans on Sunday at noon.