CORVALLIS, Ore. (Interstat) — Air Force’s Richard Rutledge emerged from the bullpen with a dominant 3 2/3-inning relief outing, and the Falcons parlayed a five-run third inning into a 9-6 victory over top-ranked Oregon State on Friday night at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.

The Falcons, who entered with a 25-25 record and dropped the series opener 7-4 a day earlier, improved to 26-25. Oregon State fell to 42-13. Air Force finished with 13 hits; the Beavers had nine.

Rutledge, the game’s top star, entered in the bottom of the third with his team clinging to a 4-2 lead. He retired all 11 batters he faced, striking out five and allowing no hits or walks over 3 2/3 innings. He inherited a runner at second with one out and escaped the frame without damage, then set down the Beavers in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

Oregon State had taken an early 2-0 lead on a run-scoring single by Egan Vazquez in the first and a solo home run by Josh Proctor in the second. The Falcons answered with a decisive third inning. After singles by Jackson Elmore and Cole Boyd, Walker Zapp doubled down the left-field line, clearing the bases with three RBIs to put Air Force ahead 3-2. A throwing error by shortstop Tyler Inge allowed another run to score, and Tripp Garrish added an RBI on a fielder’s choice to make it 4-2.

The Beavers tied the game in the bottom of the third. Inge led off with a home run to left center, and Haight’s groundout later plated a run, knotting the score 4-4. Air Force answered immediately in the fourth. Boyd and Oster singled, and a two-base error by second baseman AJ Singer allowed two unearned runs to score, restoring a 6-4 Air Force lead.

Oregon State cut the deficit to 6-5 in the bottom of the fourth when Inge scored on a wild pitch. But Garrish led off the fifth with a solo homer to right, his third RBI of the night, and Zapp scored on a Garrish groundout in the seventh to push the Falcons ahead 8-5.

The Beavers mounted a final threat in the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Sam Hentges issued a walk and hit a batter before Glassco singled home a run to make it 8-6. Gaines Estridge replaced Hentges and ended the inning with a groundout, then turned over a scoreless eighth to Patrick Davidson, who struck out the side in the ninth. Davidson added three more strikeouts in a 1-2-3 ninth, sealing the win.

Zapp finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Garrish went 1 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs. For Oregon State, Inge had three hits and two RBIs, including a solo home run. Singer homered in a 2-for-5 effort. Isaac Yeager pitched two scoreless innings for the Beavers, striking out two.

Air Force starter Tyler Watkins lasted two innings, allowing four runs on four hits. Five Falcons relievers combined for seven shutout innings, striking out 12. Zach Edwards took the loss for Oregon State, allowing two runs in 2 2/3 innings.

The game’s most pivotal stretch came in the top of the third, when Air Force’s five-run outburst erased a 2-0 deficit and gave the Falcons the lead for good. Rutledge’s scoreless relief then prevented Oregon State from reclaiming momentum.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Oregon State 7, Air Force 6, and the Beavers carried an 85.30 percent win probability per the Interstat ELO system. Oregon State was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-3 1/2 runs.