As Jacob Kmatz searched for ways to describe Travis Bazzana’s ridiculous hot streak, the Oregon State Beavers’ Saturday night starter cracked a smile and made a prediction.
“I don’t think he’s done yet,” Kmatz said Saturday at Goss Stadium. “The season is just getting started ...”
Oh, how true he is.
Bazzana hit two more home runs — including another leadoff shot in the bottom of the first inning — and the Beavers steamrolled the Washington Huskies, 10-0, to earn a sweep of the three-game series in Corvallis.
It was the fourth time in the last five meetings the second-ranked Beavers (21-2, 5-1 Pac-12) have swept the Huskies (6-11-1), but none of the previous lopsided matchups featured the kind of record-setting fireworks Goss hosted this weekend.
Bazzana, yet again, put on a show.
The junior second baseman went 2 for 5 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored, continuing an extraordinary power surge ranked among the most prolific in program history.
The Golden Spikes Award candidate has homered in five consecutive games, including a leadoff home run in the last four games. Only one Major League Baseball player — Brady Anderson in 1996 — has hit leadoff blast in four consecutive games and Bazzana is believed to be the first OSU player to accomplish the feat. He’s also the first Beavers player since Tyler Malone in 2018 to homer five games in a row.
“He’s just an incredible talent, incredible hitter,” Aiden May said Friday night. “He plays with so much fire and so much intensity. I’ve never really played with an athlete quite like Travis. It’s pretty special.”
It took five pitches for the streak to continue on Sunday, as Bazzana crushed a 3-1 fastball into the right field bleachers. As he rounded third base, Bazzana lifted four fingers into the air to recognize the moment, sending a crowd of 3,666 into a frenzy. He also hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning, blasting a 2-2 pitch into the trees in left-center field.
It was the final touch on a remarkable five-game run that has seen Bazzana hit .590 with eight home runs, 18 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
After 23 games, Bazzana leads the Pac-12 Conference in virtually every significant offensive statistic, including batting average (.467), homers (14), RBIs (36), runs scored (39), walks (23), on-base percentage (.581) and slugging percentage (1.054).
“I’m seeing it well,” Bazzana said Friday night. “I think I’ve been seeing it well throughout the year. I’ve just got a good feel right now for my swing and I’m swinging at the right pitches.”
But as impressive as Bazzana has been, he’s hardly the only Oregon State player swinging a hot bat. The Beavers outscored Washington 31-3 in the series and out-hit the Huskies 31-15. Oregon State amassed 21 extra-base hits, including seven home runs and 13 doubles, as they pounded a pitching staff that entered the weekend leading the Pac-12 in ERA.
The Beavers scored in six of their eight offensive innings Sunday, as seven different OSU players recorded a hit. Mason Guerra went 2 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Micah McDowell finished 2 for 3 with a triple and three runs scored. Elijah Hainline hit a two-run homer, Gavin Turley — who hit a grand slam on Saturday — added a solo home run in the fourth inning and Jabin Trosky (2 for 4) had his fourth multi-hit effort in the last five games.
The explosive offensive performance overshadowed the most dominant start of the season by an Oregon State pitcher. Eric Segura tossed seven shutout innings — the longest by an OSU starter this season — striking out five and limiting the Huskies to just three hits and one walk. The freshman right-hander from Soledad, California, improved to 4-0 with a 4.04 ERA on the season.
Next up: The Beavers open a three-game series against USC at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Irvine, California.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.