Four innings had gone by and the Ducks remained scoreless against the Beavers’ 3-0 lead. But, a home run and a pair of doubles in the fifth finally got the Ducks on the scoreboard.
At the top of the seventh inning, Oregon had tied the game. The Ducks needed a no-run inning from Oregon State to push the game into extra innings.
But that second chance never came.
A walk-off single gave the Beavers the 4-3 win over the Ducks (26-6, Pac-12 3-2), Friday afternoon at the Oregon State Softball Complex in Corvallis.
Oregon’s loss evened the Civil War Series, capping the team’s 16-game and six-year winning streak against the Beavers (20-14, 3-5) and gave Oregon pitcher Miranda Elish the first loss of her collegiate career.
The Ducks tied the Beavers in the top of the seventh with a home run from Gwen Svekis. The home run placed Svekis first on the team with nine home runs this season.
Mary Iakopo’s home run sparked the Ducks’ momentum in the top of the fifth. The ball cleared left field before hitting the scoreboard and bouncing behind the fence, giving Oregon its first run.
Doubles from Haley Cruse and Mia Camuso got Oregon another run in the inning, and put the team under one behind Oregon State’s 3-2 lead.
Oregon State earned its first three runs all in the bottom of the fourth on four hits and an Oregon error.
Elish received the loss (11-1) after pitching all but one inning when head coach Mike White traded her out for Maggie Balint in the fourth. Elish allowed three runs on six hits, with one walk and six strikeouts.
The Civil War series will come down to Saturday’s finale, scheduled for 3 p.m. back at the Oregon State Softball Complex in Corvallis.
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni