OSU Sweeps First Day of DeMarini Desert Classic

Friday, February 19

Henderson, NV

1:30 PM

Oregon State

5-1

Robert Morris

2-4

Robert Morris

Oregon State

Photo by: Scobel Wiggins/Oregon State Athletics

February 20, 2016 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Athletic Communications

HENDERSON, Nev. – The Oregon State softball team received complete-game outings from each of senior right-hander Bev Miller and freshman righty Meehra Nelson en route to wins over each of the Robert Morris Colonials and the Hawai'I Rainbow Wahine on Friday at the DeMarini Desert Classic from Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.

With Friday's results, Oregon State moved to 6-1 this season. The Beavers defeated Robert Morris (2-4) in the early game, 8-1, before an 11-1, five-inning victory over Hawai'I (4-4).

Miller (2-1) notched the win over Robert Morris, holding the Colonials to one unearned run on one hit and a walk with four strikeouts. Nelson (4-0) continued the stellar start to her career with her fourth consecutive complete game, limiting the Rainbow Wahine to one run on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.

“I'm very happy with our performance today,” Oregon State head coach Laura Berg said. “Our pitchers did very well – Bev with her one-hitter and Meehra allowing only four hits in a complete game. We had big innings and key hits with runners on base. We had a couple of defensive miscues that happened today that we cannot allow to happen against top-25 caliber teams, but overall, I thought our players did very well today.”

Redshirt junior first baseman Natalie Hampton went 3-for-7 (.429) with a home run, four RBI and a run scored. Freshman right fielder Shelby Weeks drove in a team-high five runs on 3-for-7 (.429) hitting, including one run on a double.

Freshman center fielder Jessica Garcia was not retired for the entirety of either game on Friday, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored, two RBI and a pair of walks. Sophomore shortstop McKenna Arriola was 4-for-7 (.571) with a double, three runs scored, an RBI and a walk from the leadoff spot.

The Oregon State softball team returns to action on Saturday for day two of the DeMarini Desert Classic. The Beavers are set to face Wichita State at 11:15 a.m. PT and UC-Davis at 3:45 p.m. PT.

Game One: Oregon State 8, Robert Morris 1
After a blank top half of the frame, Oregon State opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Arriola and Lovie Lopez (.429, 1 HR, 8 RBI in seven games) kept their quick starts to the season going, as the former led off with a single and the latter knocked her in with a single of her own to give the Beavers an early 1-0 advantage.

Robert Morris answered with its only run in the top of the second inning. After the Colonials' lead runner reached on a throwing error, she was plated on a single up the middle to knot the game up at one apiece.

Oregon State answered with a run in the bottom of the second to retake a one-run lead. Alysha Everett and Gina Bond reached on a fielding error and a walk, respectively, and moved to second and third on an illegal pitch. Mikela Manewa followed with a deep flyout to center field, allowing the lead runner to score on a sacrifice fly to move the score to 2-1.

Hampton accounted for the Beavers' third consecutive inning of scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the third. Sandwiched in between a pair of two-run innings in the fourth and sixth for the Beavers, Hampton added another RBI on a single to right in the fifth.

Oregon State plated two in the fourth inning on a pair of RBI doubles by Arriola and Weeks, who added an additional RBI on a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Lopez drove in the Beavers' eighth run of the game on an RBI single in the sixth to cap the scoring at 8-1.

Game Two: Oregon State 11, Hawai'i 1 (five innings)
Oregon State was again the first to score against Hawai'I, tallying three runs in the top of the second. Madison Anthony and Everett led off the frame reaching on an error and single, and Manewa followed with a single to drive in the lead runner. After a Kayleen Shafer single to left loaded the bases, Garcia singled up the middle to score another pair of runners and give the Beavers a 3-0 lead.

The Beavers added a pair of runs in the fourth inning. With runners on the corners, Weeks drove in the lead runner on an infield single before the runners moved to second and third on a passed ball, which set up the second run of the inning on a Lopez groundout to second.

Three straight singles for Hawai'I resulted in a run in the bottom of the fourth, but Oregon State plated six to put the game away in the top of the fifth. Anthony opened the scoring with a solo home run, before a Manewa double and Shafer single put runners on the corners to set up the second Beaver run of the inning, which was scored on a passed ball. A pair of two-run singles – accounted for by each of Weeks and Hampton – capped off the six-run frame.

Following the big fifth inning, Nelson shut down the Rainbow Wahine in the bottom of the fifth, sealing the 11-1 win.

For more information on the Oregon State softball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/OregonStateSB, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateSB or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateSB.

About OSU Athletics: The mission of the OSU Department of Athletics is to provide opportunities to young people and develop leaders through a tradition of academic and athletic achievement in a progressive, inclusive environment of mutual respect.