The Beavers’ softball team struggled to find the base in the third game of their series against San Diego on Sunday at Kelly Field.  

Junior Jaeya Butler started the first inning with her sixteenth home run of the season. With that play, she now is tied for sixth place in the nation for home runs made in the 2026 season. 

With no runners on base, however, a home run only adds one point to the scoreboard. 

The Beavers captured two points in the game. Both came from home runs with no runners on base. 

“[We lacked] consistency,” Head Coach Laura Berg said after the game. “Pitching, offense, and defense: we weren’t consistent.”

San Diego’s first runs also came from a home run from freshman Abrielle Diaz. The difference: there were already two runners on base. 

This came after the Beavers struggled to get the outs needed to close the top of the inning. 

“We didn’t take care of the ball [on defense],” Berg said. “We had an opportunity to get an out and overthrew first base…we didn’t come ready to play.”

On the offensive end, San Diego made exceptional defensive plays to keep the Beavers off the bases. 

The Toreros would go on to record 18 fly ball outs, with two plays coming from the center and right fielders to dive to snatch up base hits from the Beavers. 

“San Diego made some really good plays,” Berg commented. “We squared up some balls, and they just, you know, right fielder dives for the ball, center fielder catches one at the fence.”

West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week Kelsey Tadlock also had a standout performance. She kept the Beavers at a .250 batting average and forced several pop-up balls to the infield to snuff out the Beaver offense. 

When Beaver freshman pitcher Amelia Streuber subbed in during the second inning, Oregon State finally got the outs needed in the second and held the Toreros to no hits in the third. The Beavers entered the fourth inning losing 3-1. 

However, the defensive strength could not hold. 

In the top of the fourth, San Diego senior Shawnese Hogue-Lacy homered to left field, and Kaylee Oh followed up with a double to right field. Oh, found the home base after a drive to center field by Hayley Mulligan, increasing the score to 5-1. 

Oregon State left for the dugout in the middle of the fourth, trailing 8-1. Five of the eight total San Diego points were recorded in the top of the fourth.

Tristian Thompson recorded the Beavers’ second home run in the bottom of the fourth. Both teams were held at a standstill for the next two innings. 

The seventh inning broke the Beavers’ cold streak of infield hits, with Nikki Donahu recording a first base hit and Jada Lewis recording a double. 

Neither infield hit runner was brought home. 

The Beavers will start their next series, against Santa Clara, on Thursday, April 2, in Santa Clara, before coming home to Corvallis to face Pacific on April 10.