The Hornets are now 7-15-1 on the season, while the Beavers improve to 16-3, winning seven of their last eight games.

Oregon State’s Jonah Nickerson pitched his way to his fourth win of the season and maintained a spotless 4-0 record after going seven innings on the mound. Nickerson allowed five hits, two runs (one earned) while collecting eight strikeouts.

The loss went to Marshall Plouffe, who in just his second start of the season after returning from Tommy John surgery in 2004, pitched five innings allowing six hits and five runs (three earned).

The Beavers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning after Andy Jenkins hit a three-run homer over the left field wall to give the Beavers an advantage very early.

The Hornets responded in the top of the fourth inning starting with a single from junior Brian Blauser. The Elk Grove, Calif., native stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on an error. The Hornets got their second run in the inning when junior Josh Levin’s ground out scored senior Brett Flowers.

Blauser, Flowers and junior Brian Conradi led Sacramento State with two hits apiece. Levin recorded the only Hornets’ RBI of the game, the San Jose, Calif., native now has 10 on the season and is hitting .296. Flowers and Conradi are first and second on the team in batting average, respectively. Flowers is hitting .321 and Conradi is batting .307. Flowers, a Huntington Beach, Calif., native is now on a six-game hitting streak, while also recording nine multiple-hit games.

On their way to the win, the Beavers added a four-run inning in sixth. In the top of the ninth the Hornets added their third run when Flowers scored.

Sacramento State was again the victim of errors, committing four in the game. In the three-game series with Oregon State, the Hornets committed 10 errors.

Oregon State was led by Jenkins’ four RBIs and two RBIs from Chris Campos.

Sacramento State travels to Nevada on Tuesday, March 22 for a game at 2 p.m. The game is tentatively scheduled to be broadcast on www.hornetsports.com.

The Hornets will continue their road trip at 12th-ranked Stanford on Friday, March 25, before hosting the Cardinal at Hornet Field on Saturday, March 26 with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.