Oregon State
Stanford
Berg Earns 100th Win as OSU Downs Stanford, 15-1
April 02, 2016 | Softball
STANFORD, Calif. – The Oregon State softball team erupted for a season-high 15 runs to win the first game of a three-game conference set at Stanford, 15-1, in five innings and tally head coach Laura Berg's 100th career win on Friday night at Smith Family Stadium.
Berg, USA Softball's only four-time Olympian and fourth-year head coach at Oregon State, is now 100-90-1 at the helm of the program. Among other accomplishments as a coach, Berg has also been selected to the lead USA Softball's Junior Women's National Team in 2017.
Oregon State (22-9-1, 2-5 Pac-12) set its previous season high at 14 runs in its season opener against San Jose State on Feb. 12 at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The 15-run total also accounted for the most runs Stanford (12-15, 0-4 Pac-12) has surrendered this season. The most runs the Cardinal had previously allowed this season was 11, twice, including to Oregon last weekend and to Tulsa on March 12.
“15 runs against any Pac-12 school is very good,” Berg said. “It was great to see our bats really show up tonight. Our pitchers were spot on today as well and we really won as a team. It was great to see.”
First pitch for game two of the series is set for 6 p.m. PT on Saturday. The series wraps up on Sunday at noon PT.
Senior right-hander Bev Miller (10-5) was the winning pitcher for Oregon State after holding Stanford to one unearned run on two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in four innings pitched. Junior southpaw Taylor Cotton tossed the final inning, striking out two as she retired the Cardinal in order.
Freshman catcher Kayleen Shafer led the Beavers offensively, driving in three runs on a hit and a bases-loaded walk with a pair of runs scored. Freshman center fielder Jessica Garcia also drove in three with a hit, a run scored and her team-high 11th stolen base. Sophomore shortstop McKenna Arriola drove in two on a triple and added a walk and a pair of runs scored.
Junior third baseman Madison Anthony plated two runners on a single and added a walk, while redshirt junior designated player Christie Langlois accounted for the final RBI on 2-for-3 hitting. Senior second baseman Mikela Manewa also recorded a multiple-hit performance, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
Three straight runners reached for Stanford en route to the first run of the game. Cardinal leadoff batter Kylie Sorenson opened the frame with an infield single, and moved to second on a Kayla Bonstrom walk to set up the scoring frame. On Jessica Plaza's following at-bat, the Beavers committed a fielding error, and Sorenson crossed home plate on the play as Stanford took an early 1-0 edge.
Following the scoring inning for Stanford, Oregon State returned the favor with a six-spot in the top of the second inning. With one out, the six-run frame was set up by singles from each of Mikela Manewa and Christie Langlois on a bunt and single to left, respectively. With the bases loaded on a Shelby Weeks walk, Shafer drove in each of the two lead runners on a single to center, and Garcia followed with a single through the right side to plate each of them.
With two outs in the same inning, Lovie Lopez drew a walk to give the Beavers a pair of baserunners again. With Garcia on second, the Cardinal suffered their second wild pitch of the frame to move each runner to scoring position, and Anthony knocked in both on a single up the middle to cap the inning with a 6-1 advantage.
The Beavers kept their foot on the gas after the big second inning, adding five more runs in the top of the third. With the bases loaded on a Manewa double, Langlois HBP and Weeks walk, Shafer forced in the lead runner on a five-pitch walk. Garcia drove in the lead runner on a groundout to second, and Arriola sent home the remaining runners on a triple to center. The shortstop scored from third in the next at-bat on a wild pitch, extending the Beavers' lead to 11-1.
Oregon State added two more runs on a pair of Stanford errors in the top of the fourth inning to make it 13-1. The Beavers added another pair of runs in the top of the fifth, one on an error and another on a Langlois single to cap the scoring at 15-1. Cotton held the Cardinal off the board in the home half of the fifth inning to seal the win in the series opener.
For more information on the Oregon State softball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/OregonStateSB, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateSB or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateSB.
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