CORVALLIS, Ore. — Matthew Gretler hit a solo home run in the seventh inning and that run stood up as the winner for Oregon State in a 7-6 victory over Vanderbilt on Monday at Goss Stadium.
The win sends Oregon State (47-16) to a Super Regional where it will next host Auburn (40-19). Vanderbilt ended its season at 39-23.
Vandy had one last rally in the top of the ninth that began with a lead-off walk by Javier Vaz. He moved to second on a groundout before a strikeout brought pinch-hitter Matthew Polk to the plate with two outs.
But Polk went down swinging allowing the Beavers to celebrated in front of 3,828 fans
Vanderbilt came within one win of a third-straight 40-win season and was looking to win four games in an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2010. It also had a streak of four consecutive Super Regional appearances broken.
In what turned out to be the season finale Monday, Oregon State lead-off hitter Justin Boyd greeted Vandy starter Christian Little by blasting a solo home run out to left field.
The Commodores then took the lead in the fourth. Vaz walked to begin the frame and then Spencer Jones unloaded a mammoth home run to right. It was Jones’ third home run of the regional and 12th of the season.
Vandy reliever Patrick Reilly gave up a one-out double in the fourth and then a two-out single to Kyle Dernedde allowing the Beavers to tie the game at 2-2.
In the fifth, with one out, Enrique Bradfield Jr. walked before Vaz was hit by a pitch. Dominic Keegan came to the dish with two outs and, after one pitch, watched Bradfield break for third, an errant throw to second to try to get Vaz go wild and Bradfield come scampering home to make it a 3-2 lead for the visitors.
But Jacob Melton responded for Oregon State by hitting a one-out, two-run homer in the bottom half to make it a 4-3 game. Dernedde’s two-run single with the bases loaded later in the inning made it 6-3.
Vanderbilt cut the deficit to 6-4 in the sixth when Parker Noland scored from second on a ball hit by Tate Kolwyck that Dernedde had roll through his legs. Bradfield’s RBI single to left right after that made it a 6-5 game.
Jones kept the momentum going with a lead-off single in the seventh. After Keegan drew a walk and Noland moved the runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt, Calvin Hewett lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Jones and tie the contest at 6-all.
In a tie game in the bottom of the seventh, Gretler hit his solo home run off Grayson Moore (1-1) to give the Beavers a 7-6 lead. It would prove to be all Oregon State would need.
Little pitched three innings and gave up just the one earned run. He worked around two hits and three walks while striking out four.
Reid Sebby (2-2) was credited with the win for Oregon State while Cooper Hjerpe earned a save.
