Oregon State
Central Florida
Softball Closes Campbell/Cartier Classic With One-Run Victory
February 19, 2012 | Softball
Feb. 19, 2012
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - For the second time in the last three contests, the Oregon State softball team used a late rally to claim a one-run victory, this time pushing the game-winner across in the sixth inning against Central Florida in the final game of the Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego.
The 2-1 win moves the Beavers' record to 7-3 this season, the program's best start since the 2007 team began with the same mark. OSU has now won five out of its last six games.
"We've now started our season with two consecutive successful weekends," Head Coach Kirk Walker said. "Going 4-1 in a tournament featuring a number of teams mentioned in national polls, including ourselves, is very gratifying, but we still have work to do to get better, and we will."
Marina Demore and Paige Hall continued their strong work in the circle, this time combining to throw a two-hitter. In the event, the pair went 4-0 with 14 strikeouts and a miniscule 0.32 ERA.
Offensively, the Beavers continued to put the ball in play and pressure the defense with speed and aggressiveness on the bases. OSU got on the board in the fourth inning when Hall drew a leadoff walk and was pinch run for by junior Maggie Doremus. Erin Guzy then laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt and hustled down the line, forcing a quick and errant throw into right field by the third baseman, giving Oregon State runners at second and third with nobody out.
In the six spot, Desiree Beltran performed her job perfectly, lofting a deep sacrifice fly into foul territory in left field, which allowed Doremus to tag up and put the Beavers on top, 1-0.
Central Florida tied things up in its half of the fifth inning, setting up another late-game opportunity for Oregon State.
In the bottom of the sixth, Beltran was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and was run for by freshman Madison Bundy. After a couple of unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempts, Ally Kutz hit a shot down the line, which ricocheted off the third baseman and into the waiting hands of the shortstop, who gathered the ball and threw the Beaver catcher out at first. No matter, however, as Kutz advanced Bundy to second.
With two outs, Ya Garcia, who hit a walk-off against Notre Dame, smacked another shot into right field. The UCF player came in hard and fast to make the catch, but dropped the ball as Bundy crossed the plate to put Oregon State on top, 2-1.
In the seventh, Hall set down the Knights on only eight pitches to earn her third win of the season.
The lockdown work from the rubber was supplemented by a plethora of highlight-worthy defensive plays, especially from Kutz's position behind the plate. The junior picked off a runner taking too large of a lead from first base in the opening inning and gunned down runners trying to steal in each of the fifth and sixth innings to turn the tide in OSU's favor heading into the bottom of the sixth.
The Beavers will have a quick turnaround in Corvallis before heading back down to Southern California when they host the Cathedral City Classic beginning on Thursday just outside of Palm Springs.
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