The CSUN baseball team closed out their final non-conference series of the year vs. No. 6 Oregon State with a tough 15-12 loss on Saturday at Robert J. Hiegert Field. It’s the fifth time this season the Matadors have been swept.

The Matadors did not win a non-conference series in a season for the first time since joining the Big West in 2001.

After scoring 16 runs in Friday’s outing, Oregon State’s hot offense (30-7) picked up where they left off. CSUN (8-27) had five players finish with a multi-RBI game, but could not keep up with the explosive outbursts by the Beavers’ offense.

The Beavers jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two frames. Still, CSUN pitcher Diego Gutierrez began to get comfortable on the mound after a shaky start, keeping Oregon State in check as CSUN managed to supply their starting pitcher with run support.

The Matadors scored four runs across the second and third innings. However, Gutierrez fell out of his groove early in the fifth inning before being replaced by Kody King.

CSUN coach Eddie Cornejo entrusted his freshman reliever to step into a precarious situation, bringing in King with loaded bases and two outs.

The Beavers took full advantage of King’s inexperience as the first batter he faced blasted a grand slam over the left center wall to put OSU up 11-4.

“Giving up freebies against a team like that is gonna hurt you,” Gutierrez said. “Offense like that, you can’t give them [anything].”

CSUN outfielder Roberto Gonzalez said the team’s immediate focus was to keep a positive mindset. The senior center fielder finished his night 4-6 with two RBIs.

“In my mind, [we needed to] get to the next at bat. Just finish the inning, minimize the mistakes, and just try to stay positive,” Gonzalez said.

OSU made a pitching change of their own going into the bottom of the fifth inning, bringing in freshman Zach Kmatz, who was solid out of the bullpen, picking up five strikeouts and allowing two hits and two runs in 2.2 innings.

CSUN rallied late in the final inning and scored five runs off five hits, but the Beavers ended up putting the game away on a strikeout.

Despite getting swept, Gutierrez remains confident in the team’s chances to compete on a weekly basis.

“Putting up over 30 runs against a team like that shows that we can hit with anyone,” Gutierrez said. “On the pitching side, it’s more about how many freebies we can take back to not give them any extra chances to score.”

The Matadors’ bullpen has had a hard time throughout the season, ranking last in the Big West with a 9.47 ERA. In the series against the Beavers, they gave up 44 runs on 50 hits, 13 of which were home runs.

CSUN will look to regroup this upcoming week before traveling to Long Beach State on Friday, April 25, at 6 p.m. at Blair Field.