Pitching puts OSU on right track.

Byline: From Register-Guard and news service reports

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - For Oregon State's opening game at the NCAA Charlottesville Regional baseball tournament Friday night, pitchers Joe Paterson and Daniel Turpen turned to role reversal.

The former McMinnville High teammates combined on a seven-hitter in a 5-1 win over Rutgers that put the 25th-ranked Beavers (39-17) into today's winner's bracket game against seventh-ranked Virginia (44-14) at 3 p.m. PDT. Rutgers will meet Lafayette at 10 a.m. in a loser-out game of the double-elimination tournament.

Chris Hopkins, John Wallace and Scott Santschi hit consecutive doubles to key a three-run fifth inning for OSU, the defending national champion.

"It's always good to win your first game," OSU coach Pat Casey said. "The last two years (in regional openers), we beat Ohio State on a walk-off home run and we had a two-run double in the eighth inning to beat Wright State.

"The first game is difficult for everybody and I think everybody feels fortunate to win the first one. We played a very good Rutgers team."

Before a crowd of 2,097 on a warm, humid night, Paterson and Turpen teamed up to win a postseason game for the second time. At last year's College World Series, they threw a five-hitter at No. 1 Rice, but this time Paterson started and Turpen relieved.

Paterson (8-6) went six innings and allowed one run on five hits and one walk, with three strikeouts. After giving up a two-out RBI single in the first inning, he retired the next nine Scarlet Knights in a row and 13 of the next 14.

"I just wanted to get ahead and stay on the corners, try not to leave anything down the middle for them," Paterson said. "The shortstop (Todd Frazier) swung early and hit a couple of my mistakes, but fortunately they stayed in the park."

Casey went with Paterson instead of Mike Stutes as his starter, because he felt the left-hander matched up better against Rutgers' lineup.

"I thought Joe pitched very, very well," Casey said.

Turpen went the final three innings, allowing just two hits and striking out two.

After potential big innings in both the second and third - the Beavers put their first three hitters on base against Rutgers ace Steve Healing - resulted in only single runs, Oregon State turned a two-out rally into three runs in the top of the fifth inning.

Jordan Lennerton started it with a single, then Hopkins, Wallace and Santschi each doubled for a 5-1 lead. The Scarlet Knights threatened to cut into Oregon State's lead in the bottom of the sixth, putting runners on first and second.

But Tom Edwards flied out to the warning track in left field for the third out.

OSU finished with 11 hits, as Santschi, Lennerton and Mike Lissman each went 2-for-4.

With the win, the Beavers improved their postseason record over the past three years to 17-5, including 7-0 in NCAA regionals.

OSU now has an all-time record of 22-17 in NCAA postseason play.

Today's game will be carried live on KKNX-AM (840) with Mike Parker providing the play-by-play.

Virginia 5, Lafayette 1: Brandon Guyer hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and Sean Doolittle (8-3) pitched 7 2/3 innings for his 22nd career victory, a Cavaliers' record.

Jake Rule got the last four outs for Virginia.