Santa Clara softball secured a 6-5 victory over Oregon State in the opening game of their West Coast Conference series on April 2 at SCU Softball Stadium. The Broncos took an early lead and held off a late comeback attempt by the Beavers.
The matchup was significant as both teams entered the day tied for second place in the conference standings. With this win, Santa Clara improved to an overall record of 18-17 and a conference record of 3-1, while Oregon State fell to 14-24 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Taryn Clements led Santa Clara’s offense, driving in four runs—two with a base hit in the first inning and two more with a triple in the third. Robynn Balmediano added an RBI single, and Leiora Davidson contributed with a double down the left field line for another run. Cari Ferguson started as pitcher for Santa Clara, keeping Oregon State scoreless through three innings before facing trouble in later frames. Despite giving up five runs over two innings—including Jaeya Butler’s two-run home run—Ferguson managed to escape further damage by striking out pinch-hitter Genevieve Beacom with bases loaded.
Ellison Schroeder came on as relief pitcher starting from the sixth inning, stranding two runners before closing out the game with a perfect seventh inning to earn her second save of the season. Clements’ four RBIs matched her career high set earlier against UC Santa Barbara on March 2.
Santa Clara will face Oregon State again on Friday at SCU Softball Stadium for game two of their three-game series.
