Oregon State looks to continue hot start in series opener at San Diego

SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The Oregon State Beavers, riding a five-game winning streak, open a three-game series against the San Diego Toreros on Friday at USD Sports Center.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. PDT under clear skies with a game-time temperature of 81 degrees.

Oregon State (11-4) enters with momentum after sweeping a four-game set from Xavier, outscoring the Musketeers 35-8. The Beavers’ bullpen has been a strength, a trend they hope continues behind a player to watch: right-hander Connor Mendez.

Mendez was dominant in his last outing, throwing four innings of one-hit, one-run ball with four strikeouts in Monday’s 7-2 win over Xavier. Over his last two appearances, spanning six innings, he has allowed just one hit.

San Diego (7-9) seeks consistency after a tough stretch, having lost seven of its last nine games. The Toreros are coming off a heartbreaking 7-6, 10-inning loss at Southern California on Wednesday.

A key arm for the Toreros is right-hander Porter Rovin, who has shown swing-and-miss stuff despite recent results. Rovin pitched three hitless innings of relief with three strikeouts against USC. In his last four appearances, he has racked up 11 strikeouts in 10.1 innings, though he has been tagged with eight earned runs in that span.

The Beavers’ offense surged during the Xavier series, scoring 17 runs in the finale. San Diego’s pitching staff will aim to cool them down, having allowed an average of 7.4 runs per game during its 2-7 slide.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Oregon State is projected to win 7-3.

Following this series, Oregon State will visit Portland before a road series at UC Irvine. San Diego remains home next weekend to open West Coast Conference play against Gonzaga.