Mitch Canham stood with his arms crossed after the game, wearing a stern expression. You would not have guessed from his demeanor that Oregon State won the game, yet the Beavers downed the Long Beach State baseball team 12-8 on Friday night in Corvallis.

It was the eighth-largest crowd in Goss Stadium history, according to the PA announcer, with just north of 4,100 in attendance. 

The Beavers improved their home record to 16-2 while Long Beach State fell to 22-30 on the season, winning 12-8.

“Canon Reeder had an outstanding day,” Canham said after the game.

Oregon State was led by center fielder Canon Reeder, who notched a career-high seven RBI, including a home run and a grand slam in the third and a three-run homer in the eighth that closed the door on the Dirtbags’ hopes of a comeback.

Long Beach State starter Kellan Montgomery took the loss after surrendering eight runs on 10 hits in just 2.2 innings of play. OSU’s Dax Whitney earned the win with 5.1 scoreless innings and one hit, striking out six.

OSU scored first in the bottom of the second when Trent Caraway singled to left, allowing Reeder to score. 

Oregon State exploded for seven more runs in the third, including Reeder’s grand slam. Weber reached on error following a walk and a single in the second as well. Caraway decided to add to the offensive showcase with a three-run homer of his own two outs later, sending Macias and Peterson to home plate.

The Beavers left the third inning with an 8-0 advantage, with seemingly little resistance from the Dirtbags. 

“There was a lot of energy, a lot of life…it’s good to see some adjustments from the offense, good energy from them, but obviously on the pitching side, not clean,” Canham said on the team’s performance.

Oregon State added four runs in the bottom of the eighth to arrive at their final tally of 12. After a leadoff walk and a single to start the bottom of the eighth, Reeder delivered a three-run homer to left field. Tyce Peterson followed with a solo shot to extend the lead to 12-5.

The Dirtbags attempted a pair of late rallies but could not overcome the third inning. 

In the top of the seventh, LBSU strung together four hits and two walks, scoring five runs. This included an RBI single by Trotter Enright and a two-run homer by Nathan Cadena. 

The Beavers sent relief pitcher Nelson Keljo to the mound to close out the game, and while giving up four hits, three runs in just one inning of play, Keljo got the three outs he needed.

Oregon State tallied 16 hits, with Reeder, Caraway and Peterson posting multi-hit nights. 

AJ Singer, Weber and Gavin Turley also reached base multiple times. The Beavers did not commit an error defensively.

Long Beach State recorded 10 hits and drew six walks, yet left 10 runners on base. Briseno drove in three runs and Cadena added two RBIs. Oregon State’s pitching staff struck out nine and issued six walks across six pitchers.

The Beavers have now won six of their last seven games and continue to push for a top-eight national seed in the NCAA tournament.

Oregon State returns to action to conclude the regular season on Saturday at Goss Stadium. The game will be the final leg of the Beavers’ three-game series with the Dirtbags. The game kicks off at 12:35 p.m.