OMAHA, Neb. – A ninth-inning rally lifted Oregon State to 5-3 win over Arkansas in game two of the College World Series Finals Wednesday evening in Omaha, Neb.
With the win, the Beavers (54-12-1) force a decisive game three Thursday at 3:30 p.m. PT on ESPN2.
Oregon State trailed 3-2 heading into the ninth inning, but a Cadyn Grenier RBI single and a two-run homer from Trevor Larnach gave the Beavers the win. All three runs were scored with two out in the inning.
Kevin Abel struck out all three Arkansas (48-20) batters in the eighth inning, before Jake Mulholland shut the door in the ninth with a strikeout and double-play. Brandon Eisert threw five innings of relief work, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out seven.
The Razorbacks struck first with a run in the second inning, but Adley Rutschman answered with a solo homer in the fourth to level the score. Grenier bunted in run in the fifth to put the Beavers on top 2-1.
Arkansas responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to retake the advantage. Oregon State placed runners on third in the sixth and eight innings, before taking the lead with three runs in the ninth.
Rutschman finished with three hits in the game, as he moved into a tie with Jacoby Ellsbury for Oregon State’s single-season hits record with 99. Grenier also recorded three hits in the contest, while Larnach tallied two. Tyler Malone, Kyle Nobach, Zak Taylor and Preston Jones notched on hit each.
Arkansas used five pitchers in the game. Luke Bonfield and Carson Shaddy finished with two hits apiece for the Razorbacks.
Next Up
The Beavers will advance to a decisive game three of the series, which will be played Thursday at 3:30 p.m. PT, and will air live on ESPN2.
Omaha
Oregon State now moves to 20-12 all-time in Omaha, with all 20 wins coming under Pat Casey.
Elimination Games
Oregon State now moves to 23-9 in elimination games during the Pat Casey era, and 5-0 in elimination games at this year’s College World Series.
Rutschman Bats In
Adley Rutschman matched Jacoby Ellsbury for the Oregon State single-season hits record with 99. He also added to his Oregon State single-season RBI record, bringing his total to 81, and scored a run to move into a tie for 10th in Oregon State season history with 55.
Larnach RBIs
Trevor Larnach’s two RBIs moved him past Michael Conforto for second on Oregon State’s single-season list with 77.
Championship Series
Oregon State is in the College World Series Finals for the third time in program history. The Beavers won the national title in its prior two appearances, in 2006 and 2007.
Razorbacks vs. Beavers
Wednesday marked the fifth all-time meeting between Oregon State and Arkansas.
