There were four solo home runs, three clutch catches and two impressive pitching performances Friday night at Baggett Stadium. But the only number that mattered for the team in the end was eight. The Beavers used a barrage of homers, multiple run-saving catches and lockdown bullpen work to beat 7-2 in San Luis Obispo, California, winning their eighth game in a row. It was hard to decide what was most impressive as Oregon State (8-1) continued its red-hot early-season play — the home runs or the highlight-reel catches. The long-ball assault started in the top of the fourth inning, when freshman outfielder hit a 439-foot rocket to center field. An inning later, outfielder one-upped his freshman teammate with a 443-foot blast to deep right field, smashing the first home run of his career. And then, in the top of the seventh, and hit back-to-back homers, becoming the second pair of Beavers to hit back-to-back shots in as many days. The Beavers — who have 10 home runs over the last three games — went from trailing 1-0 in the third to leading 5-2 in the seventh. And in the middle of it all were multiple memorable catches. McDowell had two run-saving beauties in left field, snagging a running over-the-shoulder catch to end a bases-loaded threat in the third and a tumbling catch with the bases loaded in the fourth. The clutch plays saved at least four runs. In the eighth, center fielder sprinted to make a with a runner on first, perhaps saving another run. Oregon State tacked on two insurance runs in the ninth, when Turley drew a bases-loaded walk and hit a sacrifice fly to center field, to win the first two matchups of the four-game series. It helped save a feast-or-famine start by right-hander , who finished with seven strikeouts and five walks in an uneven performance. Sellers only allowed one unearned run, but all the walks and strikeouts pushed his pitch count to 97 and he lasted just three innings. Freshman relievers Aiden Jimenez and Tyler Mejia saved the Beavers’ starter, however, combining to toss six scoreless innings. Jimenez (1-0) went four innings to earn his first career victory, striking out five while allowing two hits and two walks. And Mejia pitched a near-perfect final two innings to record his first career save, giving up a hit and striking out one. The Beavers’ bullpen is 6-0 with three saves in nine games this season. Turley finished 2 for 4 with a walk, two RBIs — and that towering solo homer, his team-leading fourth of the season. The has opened his college career with hits in eight of nine games, including five multi-hit efforts in a row. Smith went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Kane extended his hit streak to nine games with that seventh-inning home run. Kane has six extra-base hits this season, including three homers, and is the only Oregon State player to log a hit in every game. Next up: The Beavers and Cal Poly will play a doubleheader Saturday. The opener begins at noon and the second game will start approximately 45 minutes after its completion. The teams were originally scheduled to finish the series with games on Saturday and Sunday, but Sunday’s weather forecast calls for rain in San Luis Obispo, so the schools pushed both games to Saturday. — | | 503-294-5183 | | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive and for the latest news and top stories. .