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Wendy Vollmer The Daily Barometer Junior shortstop Kelly Peterson had four RBI as the No. 15 Beavers defeated No. 14 Oregon 7-4 on Saturday. OSU will play Portland State on Tuesday in a doubleheader at the OSU Softball Complex. [Click to enlarge]

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon the No. 15 OSU softball team came out and pounded its in-state rivals from the opening inning en route to a 7-4 victory.

Oregon State (34-12, 2-3 Pacific-10) knocked No. 14 Oregon's ace Ani Nyhus out of the game in the bottom of the first inning after facing only seven Beaver batters.

Sophomore Adrienne Alo led off the game with a double and was pushed home two batters later on senior Kelly Petersen's monstrous home run to center field.

"We came out strong," Petersen said. "We were able to carry the moment throughout the game."

The Ducks (30-10, 4-2) allowed two more runs in the frame and were forced to fight an uphill battle for the remainder of the game.

Making the comeback attempt all the more difficult for Oregon was the solid pitching of Beaver freshman Ta'Tyana McElroy, who allowed three runs on four hits in four innings of work to earn her 11th victory on the season.

"I pitched against them (Oregon) the first time we played them and it was a tough game," McElroy said. "I wanted to win for my team."

Although the Ducks pulled within two runs of the Beavers, the OSU bats remained hot throughout the game, allowing the team to counter any Oregon offensive threat with runs of its own.

Both Petersen and Alo had two-hit performances for the Beavs, highlighted by Petersen's four RBI day.

"It's pretty nice to get a lead early," Coach Kirk Walker said. "Any time they came out and scored, we'd come back and score."

Three other OSU players drove in runs, including a solo home run by catcher Lisa Allen and an RBI double by freshman Sherina Galvan.

"Today we came out and played hard," Galvan said. "As the season goes on, we're getting more confidence at the plate."

The win gave the Beavers a weekend split with Oregon, which won Friday's contest 2-0. Oregon's Nyhus was dominant, collecting the win with a complete game one-hitter.

Senior pitcher Monica Hoffman saw her record fall to 17-8 as she pitched the entire game, yielding two runs on five hits.

"It was a tough game, obviously," Walker said. "They capitalized on their opportunities the first two innings."

Sophomore Vanessa Iapala collected the only OSU hit with her fourth inning single and continues to lead the team with a .375 batting average.

The Beavers next play host to Portland State in a double-header on Tuesday in Corvallis.

Eric Powell is a sportswriter for The Daily Barometer. He can be reached at baro.sports@studentmedia.orst.edu.

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