CORVALLIS -- As Mitch Canham strolled from the Oregon State baseball postgame huddle to a meeting with reporters, he sported a displeased, almost irritated look.
The No. 7 Beavers had just dismissed the Long Beach State Dirtbags 12-8 in the second game of a three-game series at Goss Stadium, clinching a victory in the final series of the regular season. But it was far from a perfect outing for a team with national championship aspirations, which let the Dirtbags hang around with a barrage of shoddy late-game pitching.
"I think you can see from my face how I feel," Canham, the Beavers' coach said. "My expectations of us are just extremely high."
It was one of those nights for the Beavers (40-12-1). Freshman right-hander Dax Whitney was dominant. Canon Reeder was a menace. Trent Caraway had his best performance in a month. And Easton Talt ended an 0-for-35 slump.
By the fourth inning -- after Reeder belted a grand slam and Caraway hit a three-run homer -- Oregon State sported a commanding 8-0 lead and seemed well on its way to a run-rule victory in the penultimate game of the regular season.
Then the bullpen imploded, putting that scowl on Canham's face.
The Dirtbags (22-30) scored five runs in the seventh inning, using a slew of free passes and a couple clutch swings to make the game closer than it should have been. Long Beach State sent 11 batters to the plate in the hard-to-watch frame, taking advantage of erratic performances by Tanner Douglas and AJ Hutcheson. Douglas opened inning and managed just one out, allowing two singles and hitting a batter, before Canham and pitching coach Rich Dorman had seen enough.
Hutcheson, who inherited two base runners, momentarily stopped the bleeding, recording a three-pitch strikeout. But then he walked two, gave up a pair of singles and hit a batter -- with the bases loaded -- giving Long Beach State life. He was ultimately pulled for Zach Kmatz, who quelled the rally with an inning-ending groundout, maintaining an 8-5 lead for Oregon State.
But the Beavers' bullpen blues weren't over. After Kmatz pitched a scoreless eighth, Nelson Keljo entered for the ninth and added to the frustration, allowing a walk and four hits, including a two-run homer to Armando Briseno. The Dirtbags never really caused the 4,108 at Goss to fret about a loss, but the sloppiness was disconcerting and the final score closer than it should have been.
"Obviously, on the pitching side, it was not clean," Canham said, adding later, "It was totally different from yesterday, (when we were) so crisp, putting up zeros left and right."
Fortunately for Canham and the Beavers, Whitney had an exceptional start and the offense had its most explosive performance in more than a month.
Whitney overpowered Long Beach State for 5 1/3 innings, striking out six and allowing just one hit, breezing to a win for the second consecutive week. He had one hiccup in the fourth, when he walked three batters -- after sitting for an extended period during the Beavers' seven-run third -- but was excellent overall. He held the Dirtbags to one second-inning single, using all four of his pitches, including a 96-mph fastball and 81-mph changeup -- with equal precision.
It was the second consecutive inspiring start for Whitney, who has allowed just one run, four hits and recorded 17 strikeouts in his 11 1/3 innings, during which he's earned victories over Iowa and Long Beach State.
Reeder went 3 for 4 with two home runs, three run scored and a career-high seven RBIs. He blasted a grand slam to left-center in the second, when the Beavers scored seven runs to take an 8-0 lead, and added a three-run homer in the eighth, putting an exclamation point on a timely late-season surge. The junior outfielder is hitting .455 (10 for 22) with three homers, 12 RBIs, five runs scored and two doubles over the last six games.
Meanwhile, Caraway, broke out of a monthlong slump in emphatic fashion, going 3 for 5 with a homer, double and four RBIs. It was his first multi-hit effort since May 2 and just the second game in the last nine he's recorded a hit.
Talt also took a step away from his funk, delivering a second-inning double down to the right field corner. It was his first hit since since April 21, a 14-game stretch.
Tyce Peterson (2 for 5 with a homer) and Aiva Arquette (2 for 5) added multi-hit performances for a lineup that bashed 16 hits and produced its most hits and runs since April 19.
"I think it's all coming together," Reeder said. "Pitching staff's doing their job, and the hitters are starting to rake. So it's a good combination."
Just not good enough to prevent that irritated look from Canham.
Next up: The Beavers and Dirtbags play the final game of the regular season Friday afternoon at Goss. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35.