Junior AJ Hutcheson earned the win and pitched the Beavs to victory, and Gavin Turley’s big swing, were the game-changer in a home victory for the Beavs on Saturday.  

After a hard loss on Friday evening to the University of California, Irvine, Oregon State returned to Goss Stadium, ready to reclaim their at-home winning streak, defeating the UC Irvine Anteaters 4-2. 

Freshman Dax Whitney started the game off for the Beavers, pitching a solid 3.05 earned run average. Whitney threw a total of 96 pitches, facing 22 batters. 

“(Dax) Whit right after the game was over, he already was announcing this is what we’re wearing tomorrow, and this is what we’re gonna wear to go out and fight,” head coach Mitch Canham said.

As just a freshman, Whitney is a major leader on the team.   

“He has the mentality that this is his last year here like he’s an everyday guy that will go out there and compete, but he is a guy that has the confidence that he has been here four years,” second baseman AJ Singer said.  Even as a freshman, Whitney has had a tremendous impact on the team. 

Hutcheson subbed in for Whitney at the bottom of the 5th. Hutcheson went to pitch a 1.57 earned run average, throwing 52 pitches facing 14 batters. Hutcheson then went to strike out three batters in a row. 

“Honestly, yesterday was pretty embarrassing, and I woke up this morning with a ‘wanting to get after it’ mentality,” Hutcheson said. “Over the last of this year, I battled through some things and really fought. It benefited me, and then today, I just let it out. “

To add to the Beavs’ success tonight, Singer, Gavin Turley and Jacob Krieg all dominated on the offensive side, hitting three home runs during the game. 

With the bats heating up and the bullpen looking strong, OSU prepares to take this heat of the win today into tomorrow’s game at 12:05 p.m. in Goss Stadium.