The Oregon State University softball team was unable to come up with an answer against the No. 5 ranked University of Oregon and lost 9-1 at Kelly Field this Wednesday.

The game remained close to start. Oregon’s Stefini Ma’Ake, a freshman, banged a home run to left of center field for the first run of the game in the second inning. Oregon State was quick to follow, and Morgan Howey produced a sacrifice fly that resulted in Justice Flores crossing home to tie the game 1-1. 

The Beavers never scored again, and the game was never close again. Oregon saw not only a run from center fielder Kedre Luschar in the fourth inning but also another homer from Ma’Ake. 

“I just focused on seeing the ball down,” Ma’Ake said. “I think I swung out of the zone a couple times, but I came back and got some RBI’s, a home run, I think it was just really trusting our process and staying within that.”

Throughout the game, the Oregon Ducks capitalized on OSU’s mistakes, such as stealing bases after the Beavers made a wild pitch and a throwing error to the first baseman. 

“We didn’t play well defensively,” OSU head coach Laura Berg said after the game. “A team like that ranked in the top five; you can’t give them extra outs, and we did.”

Oregon scored a run in the fifth and sixth innings while continuing to keep Oregon State off the bases. UO had another 3-run inning to end the night, with two of those runs being unearned from a Beaver throwing error.

Right-fielder Ella Dardis had the Beavers’ sole hit, the team saw 21 at-bats throughout the game.

Ma’Ake led the Ducks with three hits and three runs batted in over the four times she stepped up to the plate. Pitcher Elise Sokolsky struck out OSU batters six times.

The two rivals last met on March 8 in Eugene, the Ducks’ hometown, and Oregon State won 5-2. 

“I feel like it’s personal every year, not only just because it’s a rivalry, but what happens between the lines, it just gets pretty intense,” Sokolsky said after the game. “So it’s really cool to be able to come to their place and take a win from them, it’s awesome – awesome team win.”

With tonight’s result, Oregon State dropped to a .500 winning percentage for the season and saw its three-game win streak broken.

OSU will continue its homestand on April 5, when they will face Loyola Marymount University in a doubleheader. The Beavers will then finish their homestand with a rematch against Oregon on April 16.