March 25, 2006 

CORVALLIS, Oregon - Utah Valley State (6-17) dropped two games Saturday at #16 Oregon State, losing 7-5 in a game that began Friday but was suspended due to rain, and 9-4 in a contest that saw the Beavers scored seven of their nine runs on three big hits.

In the first game, OSU (14-7) used sacrifice fly RBI's in the third, fifth and sixth innings to help themselves to a come from behind win.

Oregon State actually took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning after two errors by UV led to three unearned runs in the inning.

But the Wolverines came back with four big two out hits off of All-American Dallas Buck in the top of the third to take a 5-4 lead.

Adam Openshaw and Eli Slesk both had RBI singles to cut the lead to 4-2. Chris Benson followed them with an RBI double to left to make the score 4-3 and Dan Bulow gave UV the lead with a two-run single.

Oregon State came back to tie the game on the first of the three sac-flies before the game was suspended on Friday night in the middle of the fifth inning. 

They got the go ahead RBI on a sac-fly off the bat of Chris Kunda in the bottom of the fifth as Saturday's play began. 

In the top of the sixth, play was halted again because of the rain and lasted one hour and 27 minutes before resuming. 

In the ninth, Nick Connor had a pinch-hit single to right with one out before OSU went to All-American closer Kevin Gunderson, who earned his fifth save after retiring Openshaw and Slesk to end the game.

Buck moved to 6-0 with the win while the loss was pinned on Brett Guerrero (0-2).

Slesk and Kade Boyer led Utah Valley with two hits apiece in the loss. 

In the second game, Oregon State got a bases loaded two-run single from Cole Gillespie and a three-run home run by Scott Santschi in the bottom of the first to jump out to an early 5-0 lead.

The Wolverines stayed with it though, scoring two runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth to cut it to 5-3. The third run came on a two-out double by Scott Croshaw off of pre-season All-American Jonah Nickerson. 

Gillespie dampened Utah Valley's spirits though when he hit a long two-run home run to left, giving the Beavers a 7-3 lead as they went on to the 9-4 victory.

Brad Hales had three hits in the game, hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time while Benson was 2-for-4 on the day. 

Nickerson (3-3) earned the win while Kalen Parsons (0-6) suffered the defeat on the mound. 

Thanks to both Mother Nature and a long three and a half hour game, the day finally ended nearly 7 1/2 hours after it began. 

The Wolverines will attempt to salvage the series finale tomorrow at 1:00pm PST when they send Kyle Tash to the mound. Oregon State will counter with lefty Anton Maxwell.