Oregon State
Indiana
Gilmore and Santana Tie School Record As No. 24 Softball Wins Two Saturday
March 02, 2013 | Softball
March 2, 2013
FULLERTON, Calif. – Sophomore Dani Gilmore and senior Elizabeth Santana each had four hits as No. 24 Oregon State pounded out 16 en route to an 11-2 victory over Cal Poly in five innings on the second day of the Easton Invitational. The four-hit efforts are the 14th and 15th in school history, and it is the first time two Beavers pulled off the feat in the same game. Oregon State (16-4) also defeated Indiana, 2-1, in eight innings later in the afternoon.
Against Cal Poly, Gilmore set the tone with the leadoff at-bat as she hit her second home run of the season to right. After Cal Poly tied the game in its first at-bat, the Beavers again played long ball. This time, it was catcher Ally Kutz going deep to left center. The homer extended her hitting streak to 10 games. Kutz was also the last player to record four hits in a game, coming against Illinois-Chicago in 2010.
The score stayed 2-1 until the OSU fourth. With the bases loaded, senior Ashley Sanchez and Santana each singled to bring around three more runs. Freshman first baseman Natalie Hampton then doubled them home to make it 7-1. The double pushed Hampton's team-high hitting streak to 13 games. With Hampton later scoring with an unearned run, the Beavers put a six-spot on the board in the frame to push the Mustangs out of reach.
Senior Marina Demore pitched very well in earning her 10th win of the season, going four innings and allowing just two hits while punching out five. The 10 wins matched her career high for wins in a season. She went 10-7 as a junior in 2012. She didn't stay with 10 for long, though.
Santana pushed the game into the mercy rule in the top of the fifth with a two-run triple to score Gilmore and junior Hannah Bouska. Hampton plated Santana with a single in the next at-bat.
Santana has been on a tear lately. In her last 12 games, she is hitting .452 (19-for-42) with 16 RBIs and 12 runs scored. She had just one hit in the Beavers' victory over Indiana, but she saved it for a rather opportune moment.
With Gilmore on at third in the bottom of the eighth of a 1-1 ballgame, Santana lifted an 0-1 pitch over the drawn-in Hoosier right fielder for a game-winning RBI single.
She also brought in the Beavers' first run in the third inning with an RBI groundout to second to score Tina Andreana, who pitched better than her no-decision fate would show. She allowed just two hits while striking out seven in 5-plus innings. She fell just one strikeout shy of matching her season-high of eight, recorded against Maryland.
Demore came in relief and allowed two hits in her three innings of work. It earned her win No. 11 for the season.
Third baseman Desiree Beltran went 2-for-3 for Oregon State while Gilmore also added two more hits in four trips.
The Beavers finish the Easton Invitational tomorrow morning against CSU Bakersfield at 11:15 a.m.
