Beavers Record History with Run-Rule Victory over No. 8/9 Bruins

Thursday, April 13

Corvallis, Ore.

2:00 PM

Oregon State

20-17, 0

UCLA

28-11, 0

UCLA

Oregon State

Photo by: Dave Nishitani/Oregon State Athletics

Beavers Record History with Run-Rule Victory over No. 8/9 Bruins

April 13, 2017 | Softball

Box Score Box Score

By: Jeff Schmidt

CORVALLIS, Ore. – For the first time in series history, the Oregon State softball team run-ruled No. 8/9 UCLA, 8-0 in five innings. The victory was also the first time the Beavers rule-ruled a top-10 Pac-12 opponent. The two teams first played in 1987 when a gallon of gas cost 89 cents and Ronald Regan was in office. Since, the Beavers and Bruins have matched up 109 times entering Thursday's matinee. The last time Oregon State run-ruled a ranked Pac-12 Opponent was on April 22, 2008, when it defeated No. 22 California 8-0 in six innings in Berkley.

The Beavers faced a ranked Bruin team for the 15th straight season, dating back to 2003, but that had no effect on Thursday. Senior Taylor Cotton threw a beauty on her way to her eighth win of the season and fourth shutout. The lefty allowed just two hits and punched out four batters in five innings of work.

Junior Alysha Everett added to her RBI total after knocking in four ribbies in the win to put her at 16 runs batted in in the last six games. Natalie Hampton added three more RBIs with her fourth home run of the season.

The Bruins put runners on base in the first two frames and that is all they would manufacture as the Beavers put them down in order the rest of the game.

Meanwhile, the Beavers racked up eight hits in the shorten game, led by Alysha Everett and Sammi Noland who both recorded two. Everett and Natalie Hampton paced the scoring with a combined seven RBIs, while Noland knocked in one.

The Beavs started the scoring in the third inning after they loaded the bases for Everett who hit a single through the right side to get on the board first. Oregon State would not stop there as Hampton followed with a three-run homer down the left-field line to increase its lead to 4-0.

In the fourth, Everett stepped into the box again with the bases juiced and sent a double to the gap in right-center to clear the bases and give the Beavs a commanding lead. Three batters later, Noland smashed a single up the middle to score pinch runner, Riley Gregoire from third and to put the run-rule into effect.

Cotton forced UCLA into a pair of ground outs and struck out her fourth batter in the final inning to end the game.

Oregon State (20-17, 3-7 Pac-12) will continue the series tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m., on the Pac-12 Network.

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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