STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford was unable to overcome an early deficit Friday as Oregon State evened the season-series at a game apiece with a 12-4 victory in six innings.
The Beavers (17-31, 4-17 Pac-12) came out swinging and put up nine runs through the first three innings. Stanford (30-24, 5-18 Pac-12) chipped away at the lead throughout the game but was unable to produce the runs needed to close the gap.
Despite the loss, a couple Stanford players produced highlight plays including an inside the park home run by Hanna Winter in the fourth inning. The homer came at an opportune time, cutting the Oregon State’s lead to 9-4.
That would be the closest the Cardinal would get, however, with Oregon State scoring three runs over the fifth and sixth innings to secure a victory.
Cassandra Roulund had a productive night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and a triple. Kayla Bonstrom also went 2-for-3 with a single and a double.
Madi Schreyer got the start in the circle but was relieved in the first inning when she ran into trouble. Tylyn Wells (2-5) entered the game and got the Cardinal out of the jam but picked up the decision after allowing three runs in the second inning.
Oregon State jumped to an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. The Beavers had an opportunity to add additional runs with the bases loaded but Wells entered the circle and prevented any potential additional damage.
Stanford responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning when Leah White led off with a walk and was followed by an RBI-double by Bonstrom. After a fly ball to right field moved Bonstrom to third, she reached home on a sacrifice-fly by Erin Ashby.
Oregon State continued to produce runs in the second inning, adding three runs on three hits. The Beavers tacked on four more in the third when Dani Gilmore hit a grand slam.
Stanford cut Oregon State’s lead to 9-3 in the bottom half of the third when a double by Roulund scored Kylie Sorenson from first base. Winter’s inside the park home run in the fourth cut the Beavers’ lead to 9-4.
Oregon State posted three runs over the fifth and sixth innings to take a 12-4 lead. The Cardinal was unable to produce enough runs in the final two innings to close the gap and avoid the run-rule decision.
Stanford will look to win the series against the Beavers on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (PT). The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. Saturday’s contest will be Senior Day and Stanford will recognize its seniors in a pregame ceremony.