No. 8 overall seed Oregon State stays alive in Corvallis Regional with 20-3 rout of Saint Mary's
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Wilson Weber, Trent Caraway and Tyce Peterson all homered to back a strong start by Ethan Kleinschmit and No. 8 overall seed Oregon State avoided elimination in the Corvallis Regional with a 20-3 romp over Saint Mary's on Sunday.
The Beavers (43-13-1) need to beat No. 3 seed USC twice — Sunday night and again on Monday — to move on to the super regionals. The Trojans (37-21) need one win to advance.
Kleinschmit (8-3) yielded two runs on five hits and three walks in 7 2/3 innings — throwing 114 pitches. Joey Mundt got the final four outs.
Oregon State took a 1-0 lead in the second inning without a hit off Gaels starter Lukas Sarantos (3-1). Caraway walked on a 3-2 pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on a wild pitch before he scored on a sacrifice fly by Canon Reeder.
The Beavers added two unearned runs in the third, No. 9 batter Peterson hit a solo home run in the fourth, and Caraway did the same in the fifth for a 5-0 lead.
Saint Mary's got within 5-2 in its fifth on RBI singles by Eddie Madrigal and Cody Kashimoto.
Oregon State answered with a nine-run sixth to put it out of reach.
Sarantos allowed three runs — one earned — in 2 1/3 innings. Tai Gardini gave up Peterson's homer and Noah Waldeck surrendered Caraway's shot. Weber homered off Elliott Joslin in a six-run ninth.
Oregon State has played in eight straight NCAA Tournaments and 32 overall. The Beavers have made seven College World Series appearances — most recently in 2018 when they won it for the third time. They won back-to-back championships in 2006-07.
Saint Mary's (36-26) only other tournament appearance came in 2016.
___
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
34 minutes ago
- News24
DA postpones fundraiser after accusations of turning Cape Town comedy festival into election money spinner
Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once. Show Comments ()
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Everything Jay Johnson said after LSU baseball's regional win vs. Little Rock
Everything Jay Johnson said after LSU baseball's regional win vs. Little Rock LSU baseball beat Little Rock on Monday night to win game 7 of the Baton Rouge Regional and punch its ticket to the super regional. LSU began the regional 2-0, cruising to shutout victories over Little Rock and Dallas Baptist. But Little Rock fought its way out of the losers' bracket and pushed LSU to the brink. The Trojans pulled off the upset on Sunday and looked on their way to a historic win on Monday, leading LSU 5-1 in the winner-take-all contest. But then LSU found life. Ethan Frey struck a three-run double, and Casan Evans started mowing down Little Rock hitters. At one point, Evans had nine straight strikeouts. The true freshman's stuff was electric. LSU is now two wins away from returning to the College World Series. All that stands between LSU and a trip to Omaha is West Virginia. The Tigers have the week to rest with the series not starting until Saturday. Before our attention completely shifts to the next round, here's what LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson said after Monday's regional win. On Little Rock "First, I want to just say congratulations to Coach Curry and Little Rock. Tremendous run here these last couple of weeks. Massive hat tip, massive respect, absolutely took us to the mat," Johnson said. "I don't know that I've seen a better-prepared team, a more competitive team, or well-coached team at any point. I told the players, tonight is one of the best wins of my entire career, because of what they had to do to earn it." The grit of Monday's win "We won tonight because of character. And when I think about character, I think about Luis, I think about Ethan, and I think about Casan. And I've said this before, maybe in reference to them, but this is what an LSU baseball player is supposed to be and needs to be in all phases," Johnson said. On Ethan Frey and Luis Hernandez "You look at the offensive performance by Ethan, that's arguably the best game I've ever seen any one of my players play, considering the situation," Johnson said. "Luis, clutch. I mean, absolutely clutch. Sometimes you look at a player in the eye in the on-deck circle, and you go, this is about to be good. And special night tonight, great toughness catching four games in a row, really proud of him for that, and maintaining massive offensive production," Johnson said of Hernandez. On the environment of Alex Box Stadium "I want to echo what the players said about the environment tonight was special. Like, maybe the super regional a couple of years ago, I don't ever remember it like that. And it's been great. I mean, that was like another bar. And the thing I'm most grateful for is maybe in those nervous moments for them, I felt like they really lifted the team," Johnson said. "They kept going. You know, they kept supporting the players. And that's all I care about. And baseball is not a game to be played, designed to be played perfectly all the time. And the fans here, they love LSU no matter what." Did LSU feel pressure? With top seeds falling across the country, Johnson was asked if that added any pressure to LSU. Johnson said he didn't even turn on the TV in his office on Monday. Johnson said he called the team in earlier than usual, too. "The approach today was a little bit different. I actually brought something back from my past. I did it at Arizona when we'd host and we'd play really late games. I actually brought them in early in the day as kind of like a, hey, this is a checkpoint type deal. And they didn't need any motivation today. It was actually pretty cool. I actually just wrote on the board the lineup. I wanted everybody to know the lineup early. I wanted everybody to know the pitching plan and the guys on the bench. And next to each name, I wrote down what their job was tonight. And it was pretty cool to actually see the game play out the way that it did," Johnson said. Bringing Anthony Eyanson out of the pen Johnson said the decision to pitch Eyanson in game 1 was because he knew that would give Eyanson a chance to pitch in relief if needed on Monday. When LSU was losing on Sunday, Johnson said he looked to Eyanson and the transfer said, "I got it." Twenty-four hours later, Eyanson took a walk to the bullpen to warm up. "He doesn't take very long to get ready," Johnson said, "I mean, the dude's like a ridiculous athlete, ridiculous physical condition," Johnson said the decision to use Eyanson out of the pen in the SEC Tournament was to prepare him for a moment like this on a bigger stage. The importance of Jared Jones' home run "Yeah, that's probably the most excited I've been, at least in this season. He had a big homer as a freshman against Alabama in a crazy game that we'd kind of come back in like that. So I just love him," Johnson said. "He hadn't had a good couple of weeks here, but we were working today, and there was just like one of those good coach moments where somebody is, you know, you can tell how hard they're fighting themselves because they care so much. And they want to be the guy for the team. Wasn't about him or his performance. He's way past that. Like, he's been such a great leader this year. And just the work that was put in today mentally and physically," Johnson said. "That was a huge deal." On the lineup change Johnson went with a different lineup than he had the first three games of the regional. The starting nine was the same, but there was a new order. "I just operate by this. When do you take a risk? You take a risk when you have a lot to gain. We had a chance to play a super regional at home, two wins to go to Omaha, seven more to win a national championship, maybe eight. It was time to take a risk. And then you don't just do it to do it. There's never a decision in this program made just because I want to make a decision," Johnson said. I'll walk you through the whole thing. So Derek Curiel is the engine of this offense. That's what he is. He's the engine of this offense. And how he plays inspires the team," Johnson said, "And then it's Ethan Frey, one of the best hitters in the country right now, and I wanted to get him up as much as we possibly could." Johnson went on to say he moved Milam up to No. 3 thanks to Milam's quality ABs throughout the regional.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Raiders 2025: Dont'e Thornton Jr. a prototypical throwback
Standing 6-foot-5 with 4.30-flat speed, wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. is a throwback to the prototypical player the Raiders would've drafted based soley on size and speed. | Photo by Robin Alam/How does a wide receiver prospect who stands nearly 6-foot-5 and runs a 4.3-flat 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine not get taken until the fourth-round of the 2025 NFL Draft? When said prospect is viewed as a one-trick pony. Advertisement Despite measuring in at 6-foot-4 5/8 inches (nearly 6-foot-5) and 205 pounds and running a blazing 40, Tennessee wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. didn't hear his name called until Day 3 of the draft. But he went to a team where a prospect of his nature would've been a much higher selection in eras past: The Las Vegas Raiders. By The Numbers: Don'te Thorton Jr., Wide Receiver, Tennessee 2024: 13 games, 26 receptions, 661 yards (25.4 yards per catch average), 6 touchdowns Career (2021-24): 47 total games (25 at Oregon, 22 at Tennessee), 65 receptions, 1,426 yards (21.9 yards per catch average, 10 touchdowns; 2 carries, 6 yards, 0 touchdowns At his size and speed, Thornton is a prototypical throwback to a point in history where those two attributes were the primary job requirements to sport Silver & Black. So much so that current Raiders owner Mark Davis quipped the selection was the 'Al Davis' pick. 'Yeah, Mark joked that was the Al Davis pick of this draft, the height, weight, speed, raw traits, athleticism, speed, and I think it's just focusing on what he can do and what he can be,' Las Vegas general manager John Spytek said of Thornton during a post draft press conference. 'I mean, he's a 4.3, low 4.3 guy. He's 6'4'-plus 200-something pounds, big-time five-star recruit, goes to Oregon, then goes to Tennessee. You watch his target tape, I think it's pretty impressive. And we think he hasn't hit his ceiling yet. We think he can still refine and improve under our coaches, but he definitely has physical traits that are outstanding.' While Thornton is viewed as single-skilled specialist coming out of Tennessee, that singular trick is one hell of a bang. He averaged a nation-leading 25.4 yards per catch in his final season for the Volunteers hauling in 26 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns. It was a low-volume but electrifying senior season at Tennessee. Advertisement It's Thornton's 'scare you death' jets that offensive coordinator Chip Kelly must take advantage of — in any shape or way possible. Go-Go Gadget Speed Whether it was your standard fly/go routes or deep posts, Thornton's instant acceleration and breakaway speed were ever present this past season. The 2024 campaign was a season of career-high marks as Thornton was targeted 34 times with his production all being his collegiate career best. Thornton spent his first two years as an Oregon Duck before transferring and becoming a Tennessee Volunteer from 2023-24. As a field stretcher who tests a defense's athletic ability and discipline, Thornton is the type of receiving option the Raiders sorely missed. He's a unique blend of freakish physical profile and athleticism that many defensive backs can't run with. Whether it's sending him deep, using him on jet sweeps/end arounds, screens or even handing him the rock similar to how speedster Cordarrelle Patterson is used, Las Vegas should get the ball in Thornton's hands as much as possible to see what he can do. Advertisement Las Vegas lacked legitimate speed at the wide receiver position with third-year wideout Tre Tucker being the lone burner in the group last season who got consistent play. Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll addressed this by selecting Thornton with the 108th overall pick and also bringing Montana State's Tommy Mellott with the 213th overall pick in the sixth round. Mellott, a collegiate quarterback converting to wide receiver, is a lot smaller than his draft classmate at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, but clocked in a 4.39 40-yard dash time at Montana State's pro day. Route Refinement A really tall James Jett is Thorton's profile as he enters the NFL. This is due to the wideout's lack of a true route tree. Advertisement He's a tall receiver and it's that high-cut nature which pigeon holes his offensive impact. Yes, Kelly and the Raiders should without a doubt test defenses by sending Thornton on the routes he runs well: Fly/Go, deep corners and posts. But to make Thornton less predictable and more of a complete package, he'll need to spend time refining his route-running ability with wide receiver's coach Chris Betty to truly become a versatile option and not a one-trick pony in Kelly's offense. The instant acceleration is present on routes where Thornton can use his long legs to stride, but if he is able to develop short-area quickness and get in and out of breaks with little wasted movement, a 6-foot-5 target on slants, comebacks, curls, digs, and out routes is an enticing option for starting quarterback Geno Smith. Temper Year 1 expectations for Thornton as he's got plenty to prove in terms of the route tree and beating NFL-caliber press coverage. But if the defense makes a mistake, it'll be quite costly. Contested Catches That all said, Kelly is likely concocting ways he can use Thornton's 6-foot-5 frame and speed to be a jump-ball/contested catch nightmare. While the wide receiver's collegiate production/targets were erratic, the Raiders play caller can take advantage of Thorton's height and long arms from the jump. Advertisement Even when collegiate defensive backs were able to keep up with Thornton downfield, the receiver's ability to out jump and dominate at the catch point is extremely difficult to defend. While Thornton will meet pro defenders who are just as fast — if not faster — not many have the physical attributes combined with the mental game to keep up, look back to find the ball, and make a play on it against a very tall target. More from
