Oregon State
No. 1/1 Arizona State
Beavers Fall to No. 1 Sun Devils, 3-0
April 30, 2011 | Softball
April 30, 2011
TEMPE, Ariz. - The pitching and defense were solid but the bats could not heat up in the desert as the Oregon State softball team fell by a score of 3-0 to No. 1 Arizona State Saturday night at Farrington Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
Lea Cavestany got a lead off hit to start the game for the second consecutive day but the Beavers could not get anything going in the first. Cavestany ended the game 1-for-3 with Ally Kutz providing the only other hit for the Beavers in the top of the second inning.
Arizona State (44-5 overall, 11-3 Pacific-10 Conference) broke through in the bottom of the first with a bases loaded sacrifice fly to deep left center that was tracked down by left fielder Ashley Sanchez.
The Sun Devils had the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the first when Oregon State (18-20, 1-13) starting pitcher Tina Andreana induced a comebacker and threw out the lead runner at the plate for the first out. The Beavers then got the sacrifice fly to Sanchez for the second out before Andreana struck out the next batter to end the Sun Devils' threat in the first and contain the damage to just one run.
Neither team could do much over the next three innings. Andreana got some help by the infield in the bottom of the fourth inning. Desiree Beltran snagged a hot shot down the line at third base and then threw out the runner from her knees with a nice dig at first base by Erin Guzy for the first out of the inning.
Nikki Chandler then threw out the next batter at first on a high chopper in the infield. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Beltran got a soft grounder at third and then threw across her body to first for the third out. Arizona State still held a narrow 1-0 lead going to the top of the fifth inning.
After the Beavers could not take advantage of a four pitch walk of Beltran in the top of the fifth, Arizona State added two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a bases loaded single to left field to take a 3-0 lead with two outs and two runners on before Audrey Roderfeld tracked down a fly ball deep down the right field line to end the inning and the Sun Devils' threat in the bottom of the fifth.
Beltran ended the game with no official plate appearances after being hit by the first pitch she saw in the second and then was walked on four pitches in the forth. She was then hit again in the sixth. She has been hit by a pitch a team-high 10 times this season.
Paige Hall came into the game to pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning in relieve of Andreana who went five full innings and gave up three earned runs on five hits. She walked two and struck out two and was the pitcher of record for the Beavers when she left the game.
Hall gave up a double off the wall in center to start the bottom of the sixth the Beavers got three straight outs to end the inning and move to the top of the seventh down 3-0.
The Beavers could not get a seventh inning rally going and went in order to fall to the Sun Devils by a score of 3-0 in the second game of the three-game set. Andreana fell to 5-10 with the loss.
Arizona State starting pitcher Mackenzie Popescue threw 5 2/3 shutout innings and gave up the two Oregon State hits in the game. She walked one and struck out four. She improves to 12-2 with the win. Dallas Escobedo came in relief of Popescue in the top of the sixth and recorded a four-out save for her fourth save of the year.
The two teams will be back in action tomorrow with first pitch set at 12 p.m. at Farrington Stadium.
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