Oregon State altered its mental approach, switched its offensive plan by crowding the plate, and got a standout complete-game pitching performance from sophomore Kelly Dyer.

The weather even cooperated, with the nicest conditions of a home schedule replete with postponements, cancelations, rain delays and cold, windy days.

The only thing the Beavers (26-29, 4-14) couldn’t change was the result. They lost for the seventh consecutive time on Sunday, falling 2-1 to No. 8 Stanford (45-10, 10-8) in a Pacific-10 Conference softball game before an Alumni Day crowd of 367 at the OSU Softball Complex.

The setback eliminated any remaining margin of error for the Beavers. They must win all four games this week to have any chance of advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th year in a row.

“It’s definitely tough, we fought well, we came to play today,” said Dyer, who spaced seven hits and struck out three. Her lone walk, however, came with two outs in the eighth and after a stolen base, Michelle Smith followed with a wind-blown double to the base of the wall in the left-center gap to drive in the winning run.

Dyer also almost had Smith retired but she just barely checked her swing on a 2-2 offering out of the zone. OSU’s appeal to first base umpire Steve Arnold was denied and Smith doubled on the next pitch.

“I would have loved for him to call it, but I don’t think she committed,” Dyer said. “We came back with a riseball to see if we could get her, but she hit it out there.”

Dyer was touched for three homers in a 4-2 loss on Saturday but kept the power-hitting Cardinal in the park in the rematch.

“We threw more changeups,” Dyer said. “We really kept them off-balance and they didn’t hit any out of the yard today, so I was better in that aspect.”

OSU scored on freshman Audrey Roderfeld’s sixth-inning home run that landed on the top of the berm in straightaway center. They loaded the bases in the fifth, but Dani Chisholm lined out to center to end the threat.

Chisholm singled with two outs in the seventh but couldn’t advance. Erin Guzy’s third single in a row gave the Beavers hope with two outs in the eighth, and she apparently moved into position to score the tying run when the pinch-hitting Dyer was hit on the elbow by Missy Penna’s 0-2 inside fastball.

However, home plate umpire Geri Magwire ruled Dyer’s elbow was over the plate, and she was called back. Dyer eventually ran the count to 3-2, but popped out to Penna to end the game.

“(Magwire) said I was in the zone. She said the ball was a strike but it was just a little high, which doesn’t make any sense,” because if it’s high it’s not a strike, Dyer said. “She kind of contradicted herself. I loved out of the way, and it still hit me.”

Dyer had only 12 total at-bats before Sunday, five in Pac-10 play. But they were productive, with a double, two singles and five RBIs, so she said she was comfortable in that situation.

“I really like to be in there and have the opportunity to win it,” she said.

Another contested call led to Stanford’s first run in the fourth. OSU third baseman Alana Ford gloved Mandy Coon’s hot shot and her throw to second baseman Cambria Miranda clearly beat a sliding Michelle Schroeder to the bag for an apparent force.

However, umpire Katrina Kershaw ruled Miranda didn’t touch the base, even though she was practically sitting on the bag when the dust from Coon’s slide finally cleared. Smith followed with an RBI single.

“We weren’t perfect, we made a few mistakes and we could have had some better at-bats here and there,” OSU coach Kirk Walker said. “I thought they came out with fire and a fight and Kelly threw a nice ballgame.

”They got a hit with a runner on second base and we had bases loaded and hit a shot right at them. That was the difference.”

The Beavers play a 6 p.m. game at Portland State on Tuesday and then conclude the regular season at home against Washington on Thursday (3 p.m.) and UCLA on Friday and Saturday (3 p.m., noon).

“We’re going out to focus on winning one game at a time,” Walker said. “That’s all we can worry about. If we worry about four we’re not going to win the one we’re playing in.

“Those things are out there but it better not make a difference when we step on the field whether we have one win or four wins, or not. We’re going to step on the field to play.”

Stanford 2, Oregon State 1 (8)

STANFORD 000 100 01 — 2 7 0

OREGON STATE 000 001 00 — 1 6 1

Penna and Neill; Dyer and Black. WP: Penna (33-9). LP: Dyer (17-23). 2B: Haber (SU), Smith (SU). HR: Roderfeld (OSU).

Hits: Stanford (Smith 2, Haber, Howe, Neill, Coon, Aggabao). OSU 6 (Guzy 3, Chisholm 2, Roderfeld).

RBI: Stanford 2 (Smith 2). OSU 1 (Roderfeld).