No. 6 Oregon State baseball drops series-opener to Cal State Fullerton

Beavers play first game since car accident leaves teammate Tyler Bellerose in serious condition

Apr. 18, 2026 at 3:53am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A cubist-style painting featuring fragmented, overlapping geometric shapes in the colors of the Oregon State and Cal State Fullerton baseball uniforms, conveying the intensity and drama of the game.A fractured, cubist-inspired illustration captures the emotional tension and competitive spirit of the college baseball matchup between Oregon State and Cal State Fullerton.Corvallis Today

The No. 6 Oregon State Beavers baseball team dropped the series opener against Cal State Fullerton 2-1 on Friday night in Corvallis. The Beavers were playing their first game since a car accident earlier in the week left freshman pitcher Tyler Bellerose in a serious medical condition. Oregon State honored Bellerose by wearing shirts with his name and number during batting practice, and carefully carried his jersey back to the locker room after the loss. The game was a pitchers' duel between Oregon State's Dax Whitney and Cal State Fullerton's Mikiah Negrete, with Negrete going the distance for the Titans in the victory.

Why it matters

The Beavers were clearly impacted emotionally by the absence of their teammate Bellerose, who was involved in a serious car accident earlier in the week. This loss drops Oregon State to 28-8 on the season, and they'll look to bounce back in the remaining games of the series against Cal State Fullerton.

The details

Cal State Fullerton left-hander Mikiah Negrete pitched a complete game, allowing just three hits and one unearned run while striking out six Beavers. Oregon State's lone run came in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by AJ Singer. Beavers starter Dax Whitney allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings, striking out six. Reliever Wyatt Queen pitched two scoreless innings for Oregon State.

  • The game was played on Friday, April 17, 2026.
  • Oregon State's scheduled Tuesday midweek game against Oregon was postponed due to Bellerose's accident.

The players

Mikiah Negrete

The Cal State Fullerton left-hander pitched a complete game, allowing just one unearned run on three hits while striking out six Oregon State batters.

Dax Whitney

The Oregon State sophomore right-hander allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings, striking out six batters.

Wyatt Queen

The Oregon State junior right-hander pitched two scoreless innings in relief, striking out four batters.

Tyler Bellerose

The Oregon State freshman right-hander was involved in a serious car accident earlier in the week, leaving him with a 'serious medical condition'.

Mitch Canham

The Oregon State head coach declined to provide an update on Bellerose's condition, saying 'It's not something that we're going to discuss.'

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We've encouraged all of our guys and all of Beaver Nation… to continue praying for Tyler and his family as he's recovering from all this.”

— Mitch Canham, Oregon State Head Coach

What’s next

Oregon State and Cal State Fullerton will continue their series on Saturday, April 18 at 3:05 p.m. PST. The game will be televised on KOIN.

The takeaway

The Beavers were clearly impacted emotionally by the absence of their teammate Bellerose, and will need to regroup as they look to bounce back in the remaining games of the series against Cal State Fullerton.