NCAA BASEBALL: Magical WSU season ends

From news services

EUGENE, Ore. — In their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010, the Washington State Cougars saw their season come to an end Sunday with a 10-1 loss to Oregon State in the semifinal round of the Eugene Regional before 4,085 at PK Park. 

Washington State finished with a 31-28 record, the most wins since the 2010 season, including a Mountain West Conference Tournament championship, the first conference championship since 1976.

“Yeah, they need to be really, really proud of themselves,” WSU coach Nathan Choate said. “We finished last place in the Mountain West last year, and here we are playing in a regional on a Sunday when 48 teams are left in the country, but I think that's going to be their legacy. There's no one in our program, especially those seniors, that should have their head down. I'm super proud of them, and I think they've changed the program.”   

Oregon State scored three times in the second, four in the third and once more in the fourth inning while keeping the Cougars off the board until the seventh inning. 

WSU received an RBI double from Trevor Smith in the seventh inning.  

In the second inning, OSU took advantage of three hits and three hits to plate three runs on a pair of RBI singles and bases-loaded walk.  

WSU received an opposite-field single through the left side by Ryan Skjonsby, a walk by Ollie Obenour and Kyler Northrop was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but the Beavers ended the threat with a strikeout. 

OSU came right back an inning later with four runs on five hits for a 7-0 lead before adding a run in the fourth. 

In the seventh, Obenour singled into center field, was pinch-ran for and two batters later Smith pulled an RBI double into the left-center field gap.