OSU Wins Two Saturday at DeMarini Desert Classic

Saturday, February 20

Henderson, NV

11:15 AM

Oregon State

7-1

Wichita State

3-6

Wichita State

Oregon State

Photo by: Dave Nishitani/Oregon State Athletics

February 21, 2016 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Athletic Communications

HENDERSON, Nev. – The Oregon State offense erupted for 27 hits over the course of two Saturday games, while senior right-hander Bev Miller nearly completed a no-hitter as the Beavers defeated the Wichita State Shockers and the UC Davis Aggies at the DeMarini Desert Classic from Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.

With Saturday's results, Oregon State moves to 8-1 this season, including a 4-0 record at the DeMarini Desert Classic. The Beavers downed the Shockers (3-6) by a score of 4-3 and capped the night with an 11-2 win over the Aggies (2-6).

Miller (3-1) had held the Aggies hitless up to the sixth inning, and with an 8-0 Beaver lead, was in line for a six-inning no-hitter. With two outs and two runners on base after a throwing error and a walk, UC Davis' Meghan Bradbury sent a single up the middle to break up Miller's no-hit bid. The senior from Portland, Ore. dealt all seven innings, holding the Aggies to two unearned runs on two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

“She was very solid for us tonight,” Oregon State head coach Laura Berg said. “She induced a lot of ground balls and had a lot of strikeouts. If we take care of the ball in that sixth inning, then it's a no-hitter.”

Freshman right-hander Meehra Nelson (5-0) tossed all seven innings of the Beavers' win over Wichita State, holding the Shockers to three runs on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.

As a team, Oregon State hit .450 on Saturday and reached base at a rate of .528. Redshirt junior designated player Natalie Hampton finished Saturday 5-for-7 (.714) with a pair of home runs, seven RBI and two walks. Sophomore left fielder Lovie Lopez was 6-for-8 (.750) with two doubles, three RBI, five runs scored, three stolen bases and a HBP.

Junior third baseman Madison Anthony drove in four runs on 3-for-6 hitting (.500), while freshman catcher Kayleen Shafer went 3-for-5 (.600) and freshman center fielder Jessica Garcia went 3-for-6 (.500) with four runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.

“We really stayed on the ball in the second game,” Berg said. “We didn't necessarily look to pull everything, but instead to just get base hits and move the runners. We had a lot of stolen bases, put the ball in play and just played our game – small ball.”

The Oregon State softball team closes out the DeMarini Desert Classic with a pair of matchups on Sunday. The Beavers are set to face Boise State at 11:15 a.m. PT, and finish out the tournament slate with a 1:30 p.m. PT matchup with San Jose State.

Game One: Oregon State 4, Wichita State 3
With two home runs for each team, the majority of the runs scored between Oregon State and Wichita State on Saturday came via the long ball. McKenna Arriola set the table for the game's first RBI, leading off the game with a single before Hampton sent a two-run shot to left to put the Beavers up 2-0 after the first inning.

After a scoreless second inning, Oregon State added another run in the bottom of the third. Hampton slugged her second home run of the game, a solo shot to right center, to give the Beavers a 3-0 advantage heading to the fourth.

The two teams traded scoreless frames in the fourth inning before swapping scoring innings in the fifth. Wichita State got on the board on a two-run home run of its own, but Oregon State got one run back in the home half of the frame. Lopez singled, then advanced on a stolen base and wild pitch to set up Mikela Manewa's sacrifice fly and set the score at 4-2 through five.

Wichita State added another run on a solo home run in the sixth inning to move within one run at 4-3. The Shockers led off with a walk and sacrifice bunt to put the tying run on second base with one out in the top of the seventh, but Nelson induced a 5-3 groundout and flyout to left to seal the 4-3 win.

Game Two: Oregon State 11, UC Davis 2
Oregon State took an early 1-0 lead with an RBI single from Hampton in the top of the first. With two outs, Lopez reached on a HBP and moved to second on a stolen base. Hampton followed with a single into left to plate Lopez and give the Beavers the early advantage.

With one out in the top of the third, Garcia set the table for another Oregon State run with a single to right and a stolen base. Lopez followed with a double to drive her in and give the Beavers a 2-0 edge after three.

The Beavers used a two-out rally in the fourth to add their third run. With two retired, Shafer reached on a single to center, and Shelby Weeks followed with a triple – the second by a Beaver this season – to drive her in and extend the lead to 3-0.

Oregon State recorded one of two three-run innings in the top of the fifth, as the Beavers extended their lead to six. The Beavers got four straight hits to spark the three-run frame, led off by a bunt single by Garcia. Her bunt was followed by RBI doubles from Lopez and Anthony, as well as an RBI single from Hampton, as the Beavers took a 6-0 lead after five.

Two more runs came across for Oregon State in the top of the sixth. With one out, Garcia and Lopez reached on respective singles, and Hampton knocked both in on a single to right to extend the Beavers' lead to 8-0 and set up Miller's bid for a six-inning no-hitter.

UC Davis opened the frame by putting its leadoff batter on second after reaching on a throwing error and advancing on the carom. Miller fanned the next batter swinging for the first out, and after a full-count walk, registered the second on a fielder's choice. On a full count, UC Davis' Bradbury sent a single up the middle, breaking up the no-hitter and plating the lead runner. The Aggies followed with another single, scoring another, to cut the Beavers' lead to 8-2.

Lopez drove in a run on an RBI single and Anthony added a two-run single to extend Oregon State's lead to 11-2 in the top of the seventh. Aside from a runner that reached on a throwing error, Miller retired the remaining Aggies in the home half of the frame to close out the Beavers' eighth win of the season.

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.

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