FRESNO, Calif. – Bouncing back from consecutive setbacks a day ago, the Oregon State softball team swept the day’s action with a pair of wins on the second day of the Fresno State Invitational on Saturday.
Game 1: Oregon State 10, Utah Valley 3
Tallying at least one run in four of the contest’s seven innings, Oregon State piled up 10 on 10 hits in the morning’s win over Utah Valley. The Beavers took advantage of eight Wolverine errors as the runs piled up.
Following a quiet first two innings, the Beaver bats came alive. Maddy Clark’s single turned dangerous as she advanced all the way around, scoring off a wild pitch while Lici Campbell was at the dish for the 1-0 lead. The advantage doubled when Eliana Gottlieb’s single to right brought home Savanah Whatley.
OSU took advantage of Utah Valley miscues as they built up the lead to five with three crossing home in the fourth. Kaylee Oh – pinch running for Kaiea Higa after her single – advanced home via a passed ball and error on Madi Simon’s at-bat.Whatley brought Simon home on her single and Whatley scored on when Kiki Escobar reached on a gaffe for the 5-0 lead.
Utah Valley answered with a run of their own but the Beavers responded with their biggest outburst of the day in the sixth to put it out of reach.
Whatley walked and quickly stole second to open the sixth help break it open. Kiki Escobar’s ensuing single moved Whatley up 60 feet before the duo executed a double-steal to make it a 6-1 game. Higa and Simon added to the burst with RBI singles as they finished up with the remaining three runs.
Utah Valley got the best of Logan Hulon in the sixth as they tagged her for two more runs before Morgan Howey got a single and turned it into a run after stealing third and heading home on a passed ball.
Hulon (2-2) evened her mark with a five-plus inning performance as she picked up the win. The Texan fanned a season-high six, allowed three hits, walked four and allowed three hits, with two of them being earned. Sarah Haendiges tossed the final frames in relief where she allowed just a hit and struck out three.
Higa and Whatley paced the Beaver offense with two hits apiece while six more added one to the ledger. Whatley also led OSU with a pair of swiped bags and three more stole one.
Game 2: Oregon State 3, Fresno State 2
Campbell’s two-out single to short drove in Messmer for the winning run in the second half of the Saturday doubleheader for the 3-2 win. In danger of leaving the bases loaded in a tie game in the final frame, Oregon State pulled ahead and hung on for the victory over the hosts.
Consecutive strikeouts by Tiara Westbrook and Escobar put the Beavs in peril before Campbell swung away and drove in Messmer.
In the home half of the sixth, Fresno State matched Madi Simon’s no-doubt two-run homer in the fifth.
Ellie Garcia turned in another complete game – her third of 2024 so far – as she fanned four, gave up both Bulldog runs and gave up a dozen knocks. She’s now totaled 18 strikeouts to just a pair of walks through four appearances.
Campbell, Howey and Messmer turned in two hit performances to lead the offense while Simon led with her pair of two runs batted in.
Oregon State will conclude action in Fresno tomorrow with another game against Utah Valley. First pitch is slated for 9 a.m. from the Margie Wright Diamond against the Wolverines.
