Oregon State lost a close series opener to Cal State Fullerton, 2-1, Friday night at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.

The Beavers (28-8) got a strong outing from Dax Whitney, but a pair of groundouts by Fullerton’s Cameron Kim proved to be the difference.

Whitney went seven innings, allowing six hits and two runs while striking out seven. The right-hander matched a career-long outing and pushed his season strikeout total to 97.

Wyatt Queen, followed with two scoreless innings in relief, striking out four while allowing just two hits.

Oregon State’s lone run came in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by AJ Singer, as the Beavers were limited to three hits on the night.

Cal State Fullerton’s Mikiah Negrete threw a complete game, striking out six to improve to 7-2.

After the game, Head Coach Mitch Canham emphasized staying focused on the day-to-day process.

“We focus on today, make sure we’re ready to play tomorrow,” Canham said. “You just do your job each day. When you take care of that, results tend to go your way.”

Canham added that the team’s priority is recovery and regrouping.

“We’re focusing on getting good sleep, learning from the loss and making sure we can rebound,” he said.

Whitney also spoke about the team’s response following teammate Tyler Bellerose’s serious accident earlier in the week.

“We’ve obviously been going through some stuff,” Whitney said. “It really shows the true colors of our team and how much we care about each other outside of baseball. What’s been going on has been tough, but it’s really brought us together.”

The Beavers will look to bounce back as the three-game series continues Saturday, with first pitch of game two set for 3:05 p.m. PT.