Oregon State
Stanford
Big Fifth Inning Lifts No. 15 Stanford Over No. 23 Oregon State
April 13, 2012 | Softball
April 13, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - Desiree Beltran blasted her sixth home run of the season and Dani Gilmore put together another two-hit effort, but a seven-run fifth for the Cardinal proved to be the Beavers' undoing, as the No. 23 Oregon State softball team dropped an 8-4 decision to No. 15 Stanford on Friday night.
OSU (27-12, 4-5 Pac-12) had things working early as Tina Andreana worked her way out of a two-baserunner jam in the bottom of the first to earn some momentum in the visitor's dugout going into the second. With two away, Lea Cavestany drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Fending off close pitches in a tough, two-strike at bat, freshman Ya Garcia tallied her first Pac-12 RBI when she singled to center field to put Oregon State on top, 1-0.
Stanford (30-12, 4-9 Pac-12) was able to pull even in the third on an RBI double off the bat of Cassandra Roulund, but that tie proved to be short-lived. Ally Kutz led off the Beavers' half of the fourth with a single to left field and was run for by Madison Bundy. Cavestany did her job flawlessly, laying down a sacrifice bunt to move Bundy into scoring position. Following a strike out that put two away, Dani Gilmore made sure OSU's execution wouldn't be for naught, as she stroked a single to center field to score Bundy and put her team on top, 2-1.
The score would remain tight until the bottom of the fifth, when Stanford exploded for seven runs on seven hits, highlighted by a Maya Burns grand slam that gave the Cardinal an 8-2 edge.
The Beavers wouldn't go quietly, however, as Beltran crushed a Teagan Gerhart offering over the scoreboard in left field in the final frame. The two-run blast made the final score 8-4. The home run was Beltran's sixth of the season, tying her with Paige Hall for the team lead in that category. The junior, who singled earlier in the game, was 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
In addition to her 2-for-3 night, Gilmore also swiped another bag and is now 11-for-12 in stolen bases this season. With one more act of thievery, the freshman will move into the top 10 in Oregon State history for stolen bases in one season.
The Beavers will have another opportunity to get back to .500 in Pac-12 play tomorrow afternoon. Game two of the series is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. Former Student-Athletes are invited to join the Varsity O Facebook Page for upcoming Alumni events.
Follow Oregon State Athletics On YouTube.
