Oregon State
No. 7/13 UCLA
Beavers Fall to No. 7 UCLA in Conference Opener, 6-2
April 01, 2011 | Softball
April 1, 2011
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Oregon State softball team fell to No. 7/13 UCLA by a final score of 6-2 Friday night in Los Angeles, Calif. in both teams Pacific-10 Conference opener. The Beavers took an early 2-0 but then gave up six unanswered runs to drop their first game in three weeks.
Right as the ceremonial first pitch was being thrown Friday night at Easton Stadium, the lights went out causing a 16 minute delay before the Beavers and Bruins opened Pac-10 play.
After the Beavers (16-9 overall, 0-1 Pac-10 Conference) went in order to start the first, Oregon State starting pitcher Tina Andreana made her first Pac-10 appearance striking out the Bruins (24-3, 1-0) leadoff hitter before getting the next batter to pop out to Desiree Beltran at third base.
Andreana then walked the next batter on a 10 pitch at bat before Andrea Harrison doubled down the left field line moving two runners into scoring position with two outs. Kellie Fox, the Bruins best hitter, then popped out to Maggie Doremus at second to end the threat in the bottom of the first.
Designated player Paige Hall led off the top of the second with a seven pitch walk and moved to second when Beltran fisted a single to center field. Mary Claire Brenner moved the runners to second and third with one out on an unassisted groundout to first. Catcher Ally Kutz drove in the first run of the game when she hit a soft single over the first baseman's head driving in Hall and moving Beltran to third.
After Nikki Chandler loaded the bases by being hit by a pitch, Lea Cavestany struck out swinging. Beltran then scored from third on a passed ball by the Bruin catcher to give the Beavers a 2-0 advantage going to the bottom of the second inning.
The Bruins threaten in the bottom of the second inning when they load the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch. After a visit to the circle by pitching coach Dana Sorensen, Andreana induced a pop out to on the infield for the second out and then got the final batter of the inning to strike out swinging.
The Beavers went in order in the top of the third inning before the Bruins took the lead with five unearned runs in the bottom of the third on four hits and one Oregon State error. ULCA led 5-2 going to the top of the fourth inning.
Hall came in the game to pitch the bottom of the fourth. UCLA got another run in the inning with a bases loaded single with one out. Beltran ended the inning when she got a ground ball at third, still with the bases loaded, and turned it into an inning ending double-play but the Bruins increased their lead to 6-2 which would be the final margin.
Andreana pitched three inning and gave up five hits walked four and struck out two. Five runs scored while she was pitching but none were earned. She fell to 3-3 on the season while Bruin starter Donna Kerr improved to 9-1 on the season with the win.
Oregon State will play UCLA again on Saturday with a 6 p.m. start at Easton Stadium in the second game of the three-game set.
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