It may be fleeting but the chances of the Oregon State Beavers getting invited to post-season play are still alive after their Civil War sweep. 24-18 with three regular season games to go at home May 9-11 against Utah. If they can win that series and even better take all three games they have a chance. Consider the conference they play in by far one of the toughest in the nation. The next home series will also celebrate the careers of six seniors on the Beaver's roster. I included video of Saturday's win courtesy of the Pac-12 Network and Sunday's official game story from Oregon State Athletics:
Shelby Weeks led the Beavers in a back-and-forth battle with Ducks to help OSU capture the first sweep over Oregon since 2006 with a 10-8 victory on Sunday night.
Weeks recorded three hits, three runs and three RBIs to lead the Beavers. Frankie Hammoude and Maia Radereach had two hits and two RBIs. Hammoude added two runs with Rader scoring once.
Jessica Garcia, Camryn Ybarra, Missy Nunes, Kayleen Shafer and Izzy Owen rounded out the Beavers who each recorded a hit in the game. In total, OSU tallied 12 hits.
Weeks once again started things off for the Beavers with a single that bounced over the head of Oregon's first baseman. Garcia and Ybarra did their part to advance her to third. Hammoude came up with a clutch two-out RBI single to score Weeks and give the Beavers the 1-0 lead.
Oregon took the lead in the bottom of the first scoring two runs and added another in the second.
Oregon State put five runs on the board in the top of the third beginning with Weeks hitting a solo-home run over the right field fence. Garcia followed with a single and stole second base. She was joined on base by Ybarra who was hit by a pitch. Garcia scored off an error by the Ducks that allowed Hammoude to get on base. Ybarra scored next following Nunes reaching first on another error by Oregon.
Shafer then knocked a double down the left-field line that scored both Hammoude and Nunes giving the Beavers a 6-3 lead.
The Ducks put added one run in both the third and three in the fourth to reclaim the lead, 7-6.
Hammoude evened the score, 7-7, in the fifth with a solo-shot over the left-field fence.
Oregon scored one run in the bottom of the fifth.
The Beavers had another huge inning in the sixth that started with Owen knocking a double into right field and was brought home by Rader hitting a double of her own down the right-field line. Weeks went yard for the second time of the game over the right-field fence to give Oregon State a 10-8 lead.
OSU punch in the final two runs of the game in the seventh led off by Nunes hitting a single into center field. Shafer drew a walk to put two on with no outs. Nunes and Shafer were each replaced by Lovie Lopez and Karla Calderon, respectively, as pinch runners. Fallon Molnar pinch hit for Sass and reached on a fielder's choice followed by an error by the Ducks that allowed Lopez to score. Calderon was the final run to score in the game as Rader hit a sac fly into left field.
The Beavers improve to 24-18 overall and 6-13 in Pacific-12 Conference action. Meanwhile, the Ducks fall to 21-25 overall and 4-14 in Pac-12 play.
Junior Nerissa Eason started in the circle for the Beavers and recorded five strike outs through 3.1 innings. Mariah Mazon replaced her in the third inning throwing two strike outs and picking up her 15th victory this season.
Up Next
Oregon State has next weekend off before returning to the OSU Softball Complex from May 9-11 to host Utah in the final Pac-12 series of the season. OSU will take this series to honor the six graduating seniors on the roster.