Oregon State (43-4, 25-3) stung WSU baseball (24-24, 10-15), taking the first game of a three-game series by a score of 4-3 in walk off fashion Friday night in Corvallis.

Redshirt junior left-handed Damon Jones started on the mound for the Cougars, having allowed just two runs in his last 21 and one-third innings. Jones has solidified himself as the anchor of a rotation sorely in need of consistency.

Again the anchor, Jones continued his run of quality outings on Friday, allowing one run on four hits over four and one-third innings.

OSU did get to Jones in the bottom of the second with a two out single to score a runner from third for the game’s first run. However, Jones scattered base runners all game long with the help of two double plays turned by WSU’s stellar defense.

Junior right-hander Colby Nealy took over for Jones with one out in the fifth inning. Nealy loaded the bases but induced a ground ball to escape the inning without surrendering a run.

Offensively, the Cougars recorded eight hits, three of them coming from freshman infielder Dillon Plew. Unfortunately, WSU left six men on base and missed scoring opportunities to capitalize on the conference’s best team.

Down 1-0 with two outs in the top of the third, sophomore infielder Andres Alvarez reached on an error. Plew and junior infielder Shane Matheny followed with consecutive singles to score Alvarez. The Cougars tied the game at one.

A few innings later, in the top of the sixth, WSU took the lead 3-1. Plew led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Matheny. Junior infielder James Rudkin followed with a double, scoring the first run of the inning. A single by junior outfielder J.J. Hancock put runners on the corners, setting up junior infielder Ryan Ramsower, who made it a 3-1 game with a single.

Taking a two-run lead is substantial against a Beaver team that has only lost four games all season. That being said, keeping the lead and building on it was the next test. A game isn’t won based on how you start, but rather how you end.

The Beaver’s sophomore designated hitter Trevor Larnach crushed a ball off the wall in left field to begin the bottom of the seventh inning, but sophomore outfielder Justin Harrer made a perfect throw to cut down Larnach greedily trying to reach third base. Senior left-hander Trenton Dupre and junior right-hander Ryan Walker both recorded outs in the inning and kept the Cougars slim lead in tact.

Oregon State sliced into the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. With Walker on the mound, the Beavers led off the inning with a single and a walk. A sacrifice bunt moved runners to second and third with one out. The Beavers scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2, but Walker got a clutch strikeout to end the inning and prevent further damage.

Junior left-handed Scotty Sunitsch relieved Walker in bottom of the ninth with a marginal 3-2 lead. Sunitsch allowed a leadoff single and thus, the threat of a tie game loomed. After a sacrifice bunt advanced the runner to second, Sunitsch was rattled, walking four batters to allow the tying and winning runs to score. WSU put up a fight, but the Beavers squeaked by the first game of the series for their tenth straight win.

The Cougars entered the weekend having won four consecutive series’ in Pac-12 play. The stretch included taking down ranked opponents in UW and UCLA.

The series continues today at 1 p.m.