The Beavers now go on the road for a pair of non-conference duals next Saturday, at Wyoming in the afternoon and at Northern Colorado in the evening.
Against Cal State-Fullerton (4-4, 2-3), Oregon State won seven of the day's 10 matches. OSU got major decisions from 125-pounder Jake Gonzales and 197-pounder Travis Gardner; in the rest of their wins, the Beavers generally had to grind it out against the Titans to remain unbeaten in Pac-10 duals this season.
"I think we've got a lot more to give," OSU head coach Jim Zalesky said. "We've had a good two weeks of training, really not peaking for these meets, kind of training through these meets, but I think we're going to perform a lot better down the road. It was a good performance; sometimes you've got to win by not looking real pretty but just getting a win.
"There were some good, tough matches there ... sometimes you just do what you have to do to win."
Watterson, ranked second in the Pac-10, defeated Sauer, ranked third, for the third time this season with a 3-2 decision that came down to the OSU heavyweight getting a point for his 2 minutes, 22 seconds of riding time. He had previously beaten Sauer 6-2 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate and 2-1 at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
"They've all been pretty close, but I guess that's what you get out of the guy right behind you," Watterson said. "That played a big part in the way I was wrestling out there, knowing if I beat him one more time, the next time I wrestle him it will be a little mental beforehand. You definitely want to have the mental edge on guys ... We'll be battling again; we're not done yet."
Watterson scored a takedown and Sauer an escape in the opening period of their match on Sunday; the only scoring in the second period was Sauer's escape in the closing seconds that tied the score at 2-2. Watterson chose the neutral position to start the third period and neither wrestler could score, with the riding time giving Watterson the win.
Watterson improved to 16-4 with two pins this season, while Sauer is 17-9 with two pins; both are ranked behind Cal Poly's Cody Parker at heavyweight in the Pac-10. Watterson's win pushed him into a tie for 42nd place on OSU's list of all-time leaders in career wins with 70 victories.
Oregon State's two other nationally ranked wrestlers, 141-pounder Kyle Larson and 174-pounder Jeremy Larson, picked up victories; both are ranked 19th in this week's NWCA poll.
Kyle Larson used a takedown in the first period and a two-point near-fall in the third period to gain a 7-0 win over the Titans' Teddy Astorga. Kyle Larson is now 17-5 with seven pins this season and has won nine of his last 11 matches.
Jeremy Larson notched a takedown in each period en route to an 8-2 decision over CSUF's Ryan Budd. Jeremy Larson improved to 18-5 with four pins, and the win put him one victory away from gaining a spot in OSU's all-time top-50 in career wins.
Gonzales used a reversal and four takedowns in the second period to roll to a 15-7 major decision over Jaime Hernandez to start Sunday's dual; Gonzales is now 12-6 with two pins this season. Gardner scored a pair of three-point near-falls in the final period of an 11-3 major decision over John Drake that assured OSU the team victory in the dual. OSU 133-pounder Bobby Pfennigs upped his record to 16-5 this season with a 7-2 decision over T.J. Dillashaw.
Cal State-Fullerton's two wrestlers ranked atop the Pac-10 in their weight class – 149-pounder Morgan Atkinson and 184-pounder Ian Murphy – both took wins. Atkinson, ranked 11th nationally, outscored OSU's Derek Kipperberg, ranked third in the Pac-10, 11-7. Murphy, ranked 18th nationally, topped Oregon State's Kyle Bressler 7-1.
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