Top-seeded Oregon State baseball’s (41-13-1) bats came out flat in its postseason opener, falling to fourth-seeded Saint Mary’s (36-24) on Friday, May 30 at Goss Stadium in Corvallis.

The loss puts the Beavers into the Corvallis Regional’s losers bracket and one away from an early end to their season. Oregon State will play an elimination game against TCU (39-19), slated for noon on Saturday, May 31.

“I think we’ve had a lot of bow-and-arrow moments this year,” Beavers outfielder Gavin Turley said. “We have something (like this loss) happen and then we shoot forward, learn from out mistakes and have a lot of success (afterward)… This is nothing that hasn’t happened before this (season), we’ve been dong it all year and might as well keep doing it.”

The Gaels stay in the winner’s bracket, where they’ll face USC (36-21) at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Saint Mary’s, who is 10-1 over its last 11 games (a 14-inning, 16-13 defeat by San Diego was the lone loss), looked in control from the moment the game began.

Gaels’ leadoff man and first baseman Eddie Madrigal came out first-pitch swinging, dunking a single into the left-center gap off of Oregon State’s right-handed starter Eric Segura. Segura’s (8-2) outing snow-balled from there, plunking three batters, hitting a fourth and letting up an RBI knock to Saint Mary’s third baseman Ryan Pierce.

The Gaels racked up three runs off Segura before he was lifted from the game, recording just one out on 28 pitches.

“Obviously a tough outing for (Segura) to not be able to fill up the zone,” Canham said. “He was under 30 pitches, so we are going to see him again this tournament.”

In relief of Segura, junior AJ Hutcheson gave the most memorable performance of the evening for the Beaver faithful. The right-handed submariner retired the first nine he faced in order, throwing four or fewer pitches to each.

Hutcheson carried the game five-innings deep, setting a career-high in innings-pitched and strikeouts (five) while allowing just three hits and no runs. He was relieved by right-handed sophomore Laif Palmer after recording the first out of the sixth.

“(Hutcheson) is a fireman, man,” Canham said. “When duty calls, he’s going to take the ball, get ready as quick as possible and do his job.”

Hutcheson said he wasn’t sure how many warmup pitches he was able to get in, but went from the dugout to warming up in the bullpen to standing on the mound in less than five minutes.

Palmer (1.1 IP, 1 H, 3 BB) let up a three-run homer to Saint Mary’s designated-hitter Brian Duroff in the top of the seventh. Righty Kellan Oakes (2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 Ks) finished it off for the Beavers following Duroff’s tank.

The Beavers trailed 6-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh, with their lone runs coming courtesy of Turley’s two-run homer in the third. The swing, which also scored shortstop Aiva Arquette, helped Turley tie Michael Conforto’s RBI record (179).

Sophomore third baseman Trent Caraway got the seventh going with a solo homer of his own, making it 6-3, before designated-hitter Jacob Krieg ripped a single through the hot corner. After advancing to second base, Krieg was pinch-ran for by junior Dallas Macias. Fellow junior Easton Talt ripped a two-out triple down the right-field line, scoring Macias and making it a 6-4 game, before Arquette struck out on three pitches to end the rally.

The Beavers, who recorded just seven hits and struck out 16 times at games end, would muster one walk over the next two innings as Gael’s right-hander Dani Castro punched out six of the eight batters he faced to earn the save.

The Beavers will face TCU at noon on Saturday in Corvallis, neither team has named a starting pitcher for the elimination game at time of publication.