SOFTBALL

Ducks open tourney with 2 shutout wins — Stellar pitching by Miranda Elish and Megan Kleist led No. 6 Oregon to a pair of 5-0 victories Friday on the first day of the Unconquered Invitational in Tallahassee, Florida. First, Elish pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts to beat tournament host Florida State. The No. 13 Seminoles got back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first inning but were held hitless the rest of the way as Elish recorded her sixth shutout of the season. The Ducks were led at the plate by home runs by Gwen Svekis and Mary Iakopo. Later, Kleist struck out 15 and Svekis homered for the third straight game as Oregon dispatched Florida Gulf Coast. Kleist finished with a two-hitter for the Ducks (16-3), who have won six in a row and face Hofstra and Florida Gulf Coast in the tournament Saturday.

Oregon State splits in San Diego — Meehra Nelson hurled an eight-inning shutout to lead Oregon State past Colorado State 1-0 in the first of the Beavers’ two games Friday at the San Diego Classic. In the second game, the Beavers fell 4-1 to No. 21 Minnesota. Against Colorado State, Nelson struck out 10 and OSU scored the game’s only run in the top of the eighth when Shelby Weeks’ two-out single to left field was followed by a fielding error that allowed Chance Burden to score. In the loss to Minnesota, Oregon State scored its only run in the fourth inning when Weeks doubled and later came home on Mariah Mazon’s double. The Beavers (11-7) resume action in the tournament Saturday against Long Beach State.

BASEBALL

Oregon hangs on to win — Relief pitcher Kenyon Yovan survived two ninth-inning walks as Oregon held off Florida Atlantic for a 2-1 victory Friday night at PK Park in Eugene. It was the fourth straight victory for the Ducks (6-2), who opened the scoring with a run in the fourth inning on Jakob Goldfarb’s RBI single. Ryne Nelson scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning for a 2-0 Oregon lead, but the Owls cut the margin in half with a run in the eighth and threatened in the ninth when Yovan issued a pair of two-out walks. Yovan retired the side to register his third save, securing the victory for starter Matt Mercer, who allowed a run and three hits with six strikeouts over seven innings to improve to 2-1. The Ducks and Owls resume their four-game series Saturday afternoon.

Beavers survive in home opener — Ranked as high as No. 1 nationally this week (by Collegiate Baseball), unbeaten Oregon State needed a two-run double by Adley Rutschman in the seventh inning to overcome Hartford 3-2 in the Beavers’ Goss Stadium opener Friday evening. Starter Luke Heimlich earned the victory for OSU, allowing two earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and three walks over 7 2/3 innings. Dylan Pearce got the final four outs for his first save. Hartford (1-4) scored twice in the sixth inning to take a 2-1 lead that lasted until Rutschman’s double in the seventh plated Jack Anderson and Steven Kwan. The Beavers (9-0) and the Hawks continue their four-game series with a doubleheader Saturday.

— From staff and wire reports