A career-best performance from No. 3 Oregon State baseball’s Ethan Kleinschmit wasn’t enough to avoid a weekend sweep from No. 13 Oregon, as the Beavers dropped their third-straight game to the Ducks on Sunday, April 27 at PK Park.

“These last five games, we’ve just been a little off,” Oregon State head coach Mitch Canham said. “(We’re) missing some of the ones we really drive and fouling them off (instead)… We’re just missing opportunities to drive the baseball (and) we’ve got to jumpstart that.”

Oregon State’s four extra-base hits and six-total knocks in the 3-2 loss were the most they had in any of the three weekend matchups. The Beavers were dead-even with the Ducks hits-wise and doubled Oregon’s extra-base knocks. Oregon State struck out 11-fewer times and worked one more walk than Oregon.

And yet, none of it was enough.

“(Oregon) did well in the field,” Junior outfielder Gavin Turley said. “We rolled into a lot of double plays. We’ve got to find holes. Got to find holes a little bit better (and) have got to hit the ball in the air and (hit it) harder… Personally, I kept the ball on the ground a little bit too much this weekend.”

The Beavers struck first, plating a run in the first inning before they had recorded a hit. Oregon starting pitcher Jason Reitz issued four-straight walks in 3-2 counts to designated hitter Tyce Peterson, centerfielder Canon Reeder, first baseman Jacob Krieg and third baseman Trent Caraway.

The early patience at the plate looked like it would do wonders for Oregon State’s effort to get to the Oregon bullpen early, but never drew another as the game wore on. The Beavers worked Reitz’s pitch count north of 50 after the second inning, but the 6-foot-11 righty for the Ducks got through the next three frames before exiting after the fifth with 84-total pitches.

Reitz (2-0) earned the win, while left-hander Santiago Garcia earned his second save of the year on two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout.

Kleinschmit (6-2) took the loss despite punching out 12 Ducks — a career-high — in six innings of work, including five-straight punch outs to begin the game. He allowed all three of Oregon’s runs in the loss, letting up four hits and issuing three walks before handing the game off to the bullpen after 104 pitches.

The sophomore transfer from Linn-Benton Community College doesn’t have the overwhelming velocity that his starting rotation comrades Nelson Keljo and Dax Whitney have, but has been incredibly steady all season. With 11 starts under his belt as a Beaver, Kleinschmit has pitched five or more innings eight times.

“(Kleinschmit had) fastball command, landing breaking balls on both sides of the plate,” Canham said about his Sunday starter. “From my vantage point, I saw one pitch that wasn’t executed. It stayed middle and (Oregon first baseman Jacob Walsh) went over the fence.”

Walsh’s solo home run came on the first pitch of the top of the fourth inning, clearing both fences at PK Park to straightaway center.

Oregon shortstop Maddox Molony accounted for both of the Ducks other two runs in the game. The sophomore dropped an RBI single into center field to bring home right fielder Drew Smith in the fourth inning and hit a solo homer of his own in the sixth.

Oregon State falls to 32-10 on the season, while No. 13 Oregon improves to 30-12. The pair will likely be ranked differently for their next matchup, but will play one more game next week.

First pitch of the fourth game is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 at Goss Stadium in Corvallis. Starting pitchers have not been announced.