Oregon State opens College World Series with 4-3 walk-off win over Louisville
Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Aiva Arquette scored from first base on Gavin Turley's drive into the left-field corner in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Oregon State a 4-3 walk-off victory over Louisville in the College World Series on Friday night.
The Cardinals had tied the game with two runs in the top half before Oregon State recorded its fourth walk-off win of the season and second in four games.
The Beavers (48-14-1), back in Omaha for the first time since they won the national title in 2018, will play Coastal Carolina on Sunday after the Cardinals (40-22) meet Arizona in an elimination game.
Arquette, a projected first-round pick in the MLB amateur draft next month, had had a rough night in the field before delivering his third base hit of the game with one out in the ninth. Turley then sent the first pitch from Jake Schweitzer (4-2) on a line into the corner. Left fielder Zion Rose tried to cut the ball off but couldn't come up with it, allowing Arquette to be waved home.
Oregon State's dugout emptied, and Turley was drenched with a bucket of sports drink in the on-field celebration. In the Beavers' super regional opener last week, Turley scored the winning run on AJ Singer's walk-off single in a 5-4, 10-inning win over Florida State.
The Cardinals, who trailed 3-1, stranded runners at third base in the sixth and seventh innings and couldn't score after getting their leadoff man on base in the eighth.
They broke through to tie it in the ninth against Kellan Oakes (5-0). Rose tripled to left when the ball got past Turley and rolled to the wall and Tague Davis followed with an RBI single. Alex Alicea reached on shortstop Arquette's throwing error and ended up on third when catcher Wilson Weber lost his grip on the ball as he tried to get Alicea at second.
Kamau Neighbors drove in Alicea for the tying run with his liner to center before Oakes got a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.
Oregon State starter Dax Whitney was nearly untouchable the first two times through the Louisville order. He mixed mid-90 mph fastballs with knee-buckling curveballs and changeups to strike out eight of the first 11 batters he faced, and the only hits against him through five innings were a couple balls poked through the infield.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander from Blackfoot, Idaho, finished with nine strikeouts and left with one out in the sixth and two runners on base.
Louisville starter Patrick Forbes matched zeroes with Whitney through three innings, fanning five of the first nine he faced. He finished with 10 strikeouts and was replaced by Justin West with bases loaded in the sixth after he issued his only walk.
West ended the inning with two strikeouts, but not before Canon Reeder made it 3-1 when Alicea couldn't pick up his sharply hit grounder.
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