Break out the brooms, Oregon State baseball defeated Arizona State, 9-7 at Goss Stadium Sunday afternoon, amid their nine-game homestead, extending their home-game win streak to 19 games.

“(The) offense continued to put together quality at-bats,” Head Coach Mitch Canham said. “(Elijah) Hainline had an amazing day, (Canon) Reeder had an amazing weekend, and (Gavin) Turley is hammering the baseball.”

Over the course of the three games, the Beavers outscored the Sun Devils 31-16. 

The Beavers got the ball rolling early. With back-to-back doubles from sophomore Turley and junior Mason Guerra, and a soft liner over the shortstop’s head the Beavers lead 2-0 after the first inning. 

In the bottom of the second, junior Travis Bazzana hit an opposite-field double off the wall and was inches away from cementing himself in history as the all-time home run leader at OSU.

While the freshman seemed to have the first two innings locked down, Eric Segura’s pitching began to falter in the third. He recorded two quick outs, but the Sun Devils’ bats woke up. 

Sun Devils sophomore Kien Vu sends a ball into deep left-center putting them on the board, 4-2 Beavers. 

Ryan McLain’s smart baserunning turned his single into a double, scoring easily from a blooper into shallow left. 

With runners at the corners, a double steal is in place for ASU, ending the inning and evening up the score. 

The third was a big inning for both teams, but the Beavers reclaimed their lead with a two-run home run from the shortstop Elijah Hainline.

Hainline found himself 3-for-5 on the day with three RBIs and a run. 

The 6’6 true freshman, Laif Palmer, made his second appearance this season after the leadoff man smacked a double into left field. He retired the first two batters he faced but was quickly rattled by ASU leading the PAC-12 in doubles.

Three runners scored before Palmer was pulled, bringing in Beaver senior pitcher Joey Mundt to strike out Eamonn Lance and end the inning, 7-7.

Despite giving up five earned runs, Canham is not worried about Segura’s pitching performance. 

“(There was) short turnaround for Segura, but he rolled through the first time through the lineup and then gave up six consecutive hits,” Canham said. “But he still looked pretty clean.”

The Sun Devils brought in the right-handed pitcher Ryan Schiefer, in an attempt to silence the Beavers.

After two strikeouts from Schiefer in the sixth, Wilson Weber stepped up to the plate, replacing Tanner Smith. Jacob Krieg sat patiently at second, waiting for Weber’s soft liner over the shortstop’s head; reclaiming the lead 8-7. 

The pitching pair of righties, Mundt and sophomore AJ Hutchenson, quieted Arizona State’s offense through 3.1 innings of relief. 

Extending the lead in the bottom of the seventh, Turley blasted a 437-foot home run to left-center with an exit velocity of 112 mph, measured by the Dam Analytics Squad.

Turley’s home run was the 23rd of his career as he slowly moves his way up the all-time home run list at OSU. He was a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 and recording two runs and two RBIs. 

“It’s a hard turnover when you have to go Canon when he’s good, then to Travis (Bazzana), then to me,” Turley said. 

Reeder went 6-for-10 this weekend and Bazzana went 5-for-12 with three walks.

“I see a confidence in there that I love,” Turley said talking about his teammate freshman Canon Reeder. “It’s a dangerous confidence. Even the swings he is missing, you’re on edge. It’s a fun (at-bat) at the bottom of the order for the opposing team.”

Although Turley is only a sophomore he finds himself in an important leadership role, being a key player in the Beavs’ lineup since his freshman year. For the 2023 season, his batting average was .309, and led the team in home runs (14). 

“With guys going down and people stepping up I feel like behind the scenes I’m encouraging guys (and) letting them know I’m here,” Turley said. “Bringing that comradery, that looseness that it’s never that serious. It’s what we do, not who we are type mentality.”  

The Beavers’ bullpen continued to get the job done. Kyle Scott recorded two strikeouts in the top of the eighth, and Bridger Holmes stepped in for the second time this weekend to close out the ninth. 

“They’re a good program, every year they battle, especially down there in Arizona,” Holmes said. “I think the USC (losses) were good for us. It happens in baseball and we let it humble us a little bit and then came out here and won five straight.” 

The Beavers’ next game is against the University of Portland on Tuesday, April 9 at 5:35 p.m. at Goss Stadium.