One hit is all it takes for OSU to knock down Michigan.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

CORVALLIS - Still seeking its first hit with two outs in the ninth inning on Sunday, Oregon State is now only a win today away from a third consecutive trip to the College World Series to defend its national title.

`We never get ahead of ourselves,' OSU coach Pat Casey said, stemming any premature planning for a trip to Omaha. `We'll play one pitch, one inning at a time. We have no thought on anything other than (today's) game.

`There's no comfort for me until it's over. We always tell guys you've got to finish, you've got to finish.'

That the Beavers did Sunday at Goss Stadium in blanking Michigan, 1-0, to take the opener of the best-of-three Super Regional. The lone run came on OSU's only hit of the game, a Joey Wong single through the left side of the infield that brought a sliding Braden Wells home with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.

All it took was three outs in the bottom of the ninth from relievers Joe Paterson and Eddie Kunz, and the Beavers (43-18) were set up for the clincher today, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:06 p.m. If Michigan (42-18) wins today, the third game will be Tuesday at a time to be announced.

The anticipated starting pitcher for OSU is junior Mike Stutes. He'll have to throw the game of his life to match the efforts on the mound Sunday as 3,194 in Goss Stadium wondered if they'd ever see anybody touch home plate.

Michigan's Zach Putnam was perfect until a one-out walk in the sixth inning, and still had his no-hitter going until Wong's single, only the second ball the Beavers hit out of the infield all afternoon.

To match him, OSU freshman Jorge Reyes worked seven innings while allowing only three hits, two of them of the infield variety, before Paterson and Kunz recorded the final six outs while giving up only Michigan's second hit to reach the outfield grass.

`Phenomenal,' Casey said of the pitching both ways.

The word fit. The three OSU pitchers combined to throw a shutout at Michigan for the first time since midway through the 2006 season, a span of 103 games in which the Wolverines scored at least a run.

How formidable is the Michigan lineup? It had put up double-digit hit totals in 41 of the previous 59 games this season, and had scored 10 or more runs on 20 occasions. The averages of the batting order that faced the Beavers on Sunday were .335, .327, .359, .341, .330, .347, .386, .372 and .308.

Well, no wonder he bats ninth.

Against that, Reyes threw 62 strikes in his 81 pitches, and first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 24 batters he faced, putting to rest any questions about why he was chosen to start the opener, with more veteran pitchers rested enough after Saturday's rain postponement.

`Jorge is outstanding,' Casey said. `We're not afraid to throw him against anybody.'

That includes the Wolverines and Putnam. The hard-throwing sophomore said it was the best pitched game of his college career, and yet he lost.

`Zach pitched his heart out,' Michigan coach Rich Maloney said. `He deserved better than that.'

Though he faced only one batter over the minimum through eight innings - a seventh-inning walk was followed by a double-play grounder - the Beavers did work Putnam deep into counts, and Maloney considered a pitching change after eight innings and 111 pitches.

`In an ideal world I would have liked to have taken him out, but he was pitching a no-hitter,' Maloney said. `You couldn't take him out. He's our thoroughbred and he wouldn't come out.

`I wouldn't have been able to go get him anyhow.'

Putnam agreed that he was wearing out but wanted to finish.

`It's hard to swallow,' he said, but then tipped his hat in the direction of the Beavers.

`I give them all the credit for staying in the game,' Putnam said. `Not having a hit going into the ninth, then there are two outs ... a lot of focus is required.'

Putnam walked Scott Santschi to start the ninth, and Wells then pinch ran. He was sacrificed to second, but stayed there on a strikeout. Wong looked as if he was going down, too, with two weak swings, but Putnam said he left a split-fingered fastball up in the zone, and Wong poked it between the Michigan shortstop and third baseman.

Though Michigan leftfielder Derek VanBuskirk was playing shallow, OSU third base coach Marty Lees never hesitated in windmilling Wells toward the plate.

`I'm pretty sure his arms were going even before Joey hit the ball,' Wells joked. `No one was stopping me. I was getting to home plate.'

As Casey put it: `I don't think there was any question we had to try to score there.'

The Beavers did, with relative ease on a weak throw home.

`It was unfortunate that we weren't able to make the play,' Maloney said, `but it is what it is.'

Which was another OSU win that puts them one more victory from packing for Omaha. Errorless in the field, almost flawless on the mound, the Beavers almost did it Sunday without a hit until Wong's grounder.

`I just happened to be the guy up there at the dish at the time, and the ball just found a hole,' Wong said. `Thank God for that one, (the way) it squeaked through the infield.'

OREGON STATE VS. MICHIGAN

4 p.m. today at Goss Stadium, Corvallis. TV: ESPN. Radio: KKNX-AM (840), KXOR-AM (660) in Spanish.