Inside the Pac-12: On heels of 1-0 Oregon State victory, conference title remains at large

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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Three Northwest players made sure any decision on the 2014 Pac-12 Conference champion will remain for another day as freshman catcher Logan Ice drilled an RBI double off the right field wall in the bottom of the ninth at Goss Stadium to lift No. 2 Oregon State to a 1-0 victory over No. 5 Washington.

Ice’s one-out hit off reliever Troy Rallings – who had riled up Beaver Believers the night before with his antics in a 4-2 Huskies win – made a complete-game winner of Jace Fry and plated Dylan Davis. Davis had led off the ninth with a single that helped lead to the exit of UW starter Tyler Davis.

It was far more than a tense pitchers’ duel between Fry, who scattered seven hits, struck out nine and walked three, and Tyler Davis, who allowed six hits, struck out four and walked three.

It was a series-equalizing decision that, with four games remaining, gave OSU a one-game lead over the Huskies for the conference crown. The season series will be decided Sunday with Beavers ace Ben Wetzler, fresh from a five-game suspension for a misdemeanor arrest eight days ago, on the mound.

The winner of the series will have the upperhand for the conference title. OSU can take a two-game lead in the standings, while the Huskies can move back into a tie and hold the tie-breaker, each with a victory in today’s finale.

Fry, a draft-eligible junior who was an All-American as a freshman, was efficient on the mound. He threw 67 strikes among 106 pitches in nine innings. His counterpart for the Huskies – a candidate for breakout pitcher of the year – worked a bit harder while facing fewer batters.

Tyler Davis delivered 77 strikes in 123 pitches to 33 Beaver batters. Fry faced 36 batters and was the beneficiary of a key play at the plate in the seventh inning.

Washington attempted to score on a grounder to the hole at shortstop, expecting freshman Trever Morrison to throw to first for an attempted out. Instead, Morrison threw to Andy Peterson at second, but not in time for the out. Peterson, though, spotted Austin Rei heading for home and delivered a dart to Ice, who blocked the plate before tagging out the Husky to end the inning.

Both the Beavers and Huskies have one more Pac-12 series to play – OSU at Southern California and UCLA at Washington – and neither can falter if either wishes to claim the conference title.

Photo Gallery of game is available by clicking here.