Beavers Split Saturday Twin Bill

Saturday, April 1

Corvallis, Ore.

12:00 PM

Oregon State

16-15

Brigham Young

23-10

BYU

Oregon State

Photo by: Dave Nishitani/Oregon State Athletics

April 01, 2017 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 BYU Box Score UNLV Box Score

By: Jeff Schmidt

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State softball team finished Saturday afternoon's twin bill with a split against No. 25 BYU and UNLV at the OSU Softball Complex. Beavers suffered a 2-1 loss against the Cougars, but responded nicely with a 9-2 victory against the Rebels in the final game of the day.

GAME 1 VS. BYU
BYU's offense got the Cougars on the board first in the second inning, after a walk allowed a run to score. The Cougars defense was also in check, not allowing the Beavers to get their first base runner until the third inning.

Oregon State finally made a mark on the board in the fifth frame after a leadoff walk put Stephanie Merwin on base. A single by Lovie Lopez two batters later moved Merwin to third. The following at bat, the Cougar pitcher hurled a wild pitch, which allowed Merwin to score and to tie the game, 1-1.

BYU responded in the sixth with a pair of singles to put runners on the corners with two outs. The Cougars put on a double steal and was successful to take a one-run lead.

The Beavers put a pair of runners on in the last two frames, including moving them into scoring position each time but could not push any across.

Oregon State generated four hits in the loss, highlighted by Lovie Lopez with a 2-for-3 performance.

Taylor Cotton recorded the loss pitching the complete game, giving up five hits and striking out seven batters.

GAME 2 VS. UNLV
The Beavers offense exploded in the second game of the day as they racked up a season-high 17 hits and scored nine runs in the win.

Oregon State started its production in the second inning after a sac fly by Kayleen Shafer keyed the scoring. Jessica Garcia followed with a triple – her third of the season – down the right-field line to score Sammi Noland. McKenna Arriola kept the hot bats alive with a single to left field to allow Garcia to score and give the Beavs a 3-0 lead.

UNLV scored one of its two runs in the top of the third after a Beaver error allowed the unearned run to score.

The Beavers held their lead through the heart of the game, but came alive again in the fifth frame with five runs in an inning that saw all nine batters have a plate appearance. Alysha Everett started the scoring in the inning after a double to center field allowed pinch runner Riley Gregoire to come home standing up. Later in the inning, Arriola kept her bat hot alive with a double to right field, which allowed two runs to score. Shelby Weeks followed with a single to the outfield to score another two runners and gave the Beavers an 8-1 lead heading into the final two frames.

The Rebels scored their final run of the game in the sixth with a solo home run.

Oregon State added an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning after an infield single by Shafer scored another run.

Meehra Nelson threw the complete game and picked up the win after striking out seven batters and allowing just one earned run.

Five Beavers recorded multiple hits in the game, lead by McKenna Arriola and Shelby Weeks who both finished 3-for-4 and combined for five RBI in the game.

Oregon State (17-15, 1-5 Pac-12) will conclude its bye week tomorrow hosting UNLV starting at noon.

For more information on the Oregon State softball team, follow the team's official Twitter and Instagram accounts at @BeaverSoftball or by Facebook at /BeaverSoftball.

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