CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Elijah Hainline hit a three-run home run to spark a five-run second inning and No. 15 national seed Oregon State pulled away to beat UC Irvine 11-6 on Monday, winning the rain-delayed Corvallis Regional and grabbing a spot in the super regionals.
Oregon State (45-14) had to wait a day to advance after the game was suspended Sunday night with the Beavers leading 6-4 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Oregon State hits the road to take on No. 2 national seed Kentucky in the best-of-three Lexington Super Regional, beginning Friday or Saturday.
Dub Gleed had a three-run home run to cap a four-run bottom of the first inning for UC Irvine (45-14) off Beavers starter Eric Segura.
Oregon State answered with a five-run second inning and never trailed again.
UC Irvine starter Nick Rincover left after issuing a leadoff walk to begin the big inning. David Utagawa took the mound and walked Wilson Weber. Hainline homered to center field to drive in three. Traves Bazzana added a sacrifice fly and Gavin Turley drove in the fifth run with a two-out double.
Mason Guerra had an RBI single and Dallas Macias drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the fifth to put Oregon State ahead 8-5.
Gleed hit a solo shot in the bottom of the inning for the Anteaters’ final run.
Micah McDowell drove in a run in the sixth with a two-out, bases-loaded infield single. Guerra hit a solo shot in the eighth and Macias hit the team’s 118th homer of the season — a two-run shot in the ninth.
Hainline, Guerra and Jabin Trosky bat 7-8-9 in the order, respectively. All three had two hits, combining for five RBIs and six runs scored.
Reliever AJ Hutcheson (4-2) was tabbed for the win. He retired all four batters he faced, striking out one.
Utagawa (3-1) did not retire a batter in taking the loss. He gave up four runs on two hits and two walks.
Oregon State beat the Anteaters 5-3 on Saturday.
Oregon State has been to the College World Series seven times, most recently in 2018 when the Beavers beat Arkansas 5-0 to win their third championship. Oregon State also posted back-to-back CWS titles in 2006-07, beating North Carolina both times.
UC Irvine made CWS appearances in 2007 and 2014. The Anteaters won back-to-back championships at the Division II level in 1973-74.
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