CORVALLIS — The Oregon State Beavers host the Auburn Tigers on Sunday night in Game 2 of the Corvallis Super Regional at Goss Stadium.
And Beavers ace Cooper Hjerpe was back on the mound a day after missing his scheduled start because of an illness. Hjerpe struck out six while allowing three hits and three runs across 5 2/3 innings.
The Beavers led the Tigers 4-3 in the top of the ninth. Jacob Melton and Travis Bazzana hit home runs in the top of the fourth to get the scoring started for Oregon State.
The 14th-seeded Tigers won the opener, 7-5, and need one more win in the best-of-three series to advance to the College World Series. No. 3 seed Oregon State, on the other hand, are facing elimination for the second time in the last three games.
The Beavers were dealt a blow about two hours before Saturday’s opener, when Hjerpe was ruled out. Jake Pfennigs started in Hjerpe’s place and didn’t make it out of the third inning, as Auburn’s red-hot lineup — which has scored 58 runs in its last four games — touched him up for five runs to take an early lead.
The Tigers’ bullpen took over from there, allowing just four hits and one run, while striking out 10, in 8 1/3 innings.
LIVE UPDATES
Live score: Oregon State 4, Auburn 3 (Top 9)
Scoring plays
Bottom 6: Auburn’s Bobby Peirce scored from third on a wild pitch. Oregon State 4, Auburn 3
Top 6: Oregon State’s Jake Dukart singled to left-center; Travis Bazzana scored from third. Oregon State 4, Auburn 2
Top 5: Oregon State’s Justin Boyd singled to pitcher on a bunt and advanced to second on a throwing error; Michael Gretler advanced to third on the bunt and scored on the error. Oregon State 3, Auburn 2
Bottom 4: Auburn’s Brody Moore doubled to center field; Brooks Carlson scored from second. Oregon State 2, Auburn 2
Bottom 4: Auburn’s Cole Foster scored from third on a wild pitch. Oregon State 2, Auburn 1
Top 4: Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana homered to right. Oregon State 2, Auburn 0
Top 4: Oregon State’s Jacob Melton homered to left-center. Oregon State 1, Auburn 0
Catch up on the Beavers and the series with the links below:
• The Tigers’ dominant bullpen and Hjerpe’s health were the different in Game 1.
• Series preview: Battled-tested Oregon State ready for ‘Bad News’ Auburn Tigers in Corvallis Super Regional
• Wade Meckler’s story is no fairy tale, but it might seem like one
• Jacob Melton overcame injury, self-doubt with help from fly fishing and the Rogue River
• Hjerpe is a bulldog comedian. But make no mistake, he has unfinished business
• More than a mullet: A look at Garret Forrester’s rise into one of the Beavers’ most clutch contributors
• Going ‘up top’: The secret behind Oregon State baseball’s relentless lineup
• Beavers survive collapse and ‘craziest day of baseball,’ beat UCLA Bruins to reach Pac-12 tournament championship
• Beavers show ‘tremendous amount of heart,’ escape Vanderbilt to win Corvallis Regional
Here are details about tonight’s game:
Oregon State Beavers (47-17) vs. Auburn (41-19)
When: 7 p.m., PT Sunday, June 12
Where: Goss Stadium, Corvallis
TV channel: ESPN2.
How to watch live stream online: You can watch the game live for FREE with fuboTV (free trial) and on Sling (promotional offers). If you have a cable subscription, visit the OSU baseball schedule page and click the “watch” link, then log-in with your provider info. Also, watch the game online by visiting WatchESPN or through the ESPN app on smartphones, tablets, streaming devices and smart televisions. You can also listen live online by accessing the live broadcast tab on the baseball schedule page or via via the Varsity Network application on smartphones and tablets.
Radio: All games air on the Beaver Sports Network starting 30 minutes before the first pitch. Affiliates include: KEJO 1240-AM (Corvallis), KKNX 840-AM (Eugene), KCFM 1250-AM & 104.1-FM (Florence), KLAD 960-AM & 93.3-FM (Klamath Falls), KTMT 880-AM & 96.1-FM (Medford, weekend games), KEX 1190-AM (Portland), 102.3 FM (weekday games prior to 5:30 p.m.), KSKR 1490-AM (Roseburg) and KBZY 1490-AM (Salem, weekend games).
Probable starters: TBA vs. Auburn RHP Joseph Gonzalez (7-2, 2.90)
— Joe Freeman | [email protected] | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.