PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon State pitching staff proved to be too much for the Portland Pilots as the No. 21 Beavers took the nonconference matchup at Joe Etzel Field 7-1. The loss puts the Pilots under .500 at 11-12.

Brett Gillis was the losing pitcher for Portland. The righty had seven strikeouts in just 3.1 innings of work, but a three-run homer in the third inning saddled him with the loss. The Pilots managed to cobble together 14 strikeouts on the night with four pitchers but gave up 11 hits.

The struggles at the plate were what sunk the Pilots. The Beavers struck out 16 batters on the night and allowed only five hits and one run. Jake Holcroft had the best night at the plate for Portland, going 3-for-3 with the team's only RBI and a stolen base.

Portland scored first with the RBI single from Holcroft in the second inning. Holcroft snuck a grounder through to right field and brought home Sam Brown for an early 1-0 lead. It didn't take long for the Beavers to respond, however. Oregon State got on the board themselves with a three-run homer by Ryan Ober the in the third inning, making it 3-1 Oregon State.

The Beavers tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning. Andy Armstrong brought in the first run with an RBI single and Jake Dukart made it home on a passed ball to make it 5-1 OSU. They added one more in the sixth off an error from Chad Stevens at shortstop. It was one of three errors on the night for Portland, and it gave Oregon State a 6-1 lead.

Oregon State padded on one more run in the seventh for insurance. A solo shot over the center field wall from Jacob Melton gave the Beavs their second homer of the night and their seventh run. That proved to be all they needed, as they held off the Pilots and took the win 7-1.

Next up, the Pilots will head to Moraga, Calif. for their WCC series against the Saint Mary's Gaels. The two teams will play Thursday through Saturday, with the first game set for a 3 p.m. start time. Live stats and video will be available at PortlandPilots.com.