Oregon State
Lehigh
Beavers Stay Alive In Norman With 9-2 Thumping Of Lehigh
May 19, 2012 | Softball
May 19, 2012
NORMAN, Okla. - This one didn't have all the thrills of last night, but the result was much better for the Oregon State softball team as the Beavers stayed alive, eliminating Lehigh, 9-2, on Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Regional in Norman, Okla.
Oregon State (35-22) is just underway against Tulsa (42-13). The winner of the game will face Oklahoma tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT, needing to beat the Sooners twice to advance to NCAA Super Regionals.
The nine-run outburst earned this year's Beaver squad yet another mark in Oregon State annals. OSU has now scored 299 total runs in 2012, the highest total in school history. The previous record was held by Kirk Walker's 2007 team, which scored 296 times in 64 games.
Oregon State wasted no time getting itself on the scoreboard in the first. Dani Gilmore led off with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a bunt single by Hannah Bouska. Bouska would use her speed to swipe second as well and both were driven in on a two-RBI single off the bat of Elizabeth Santana to give OSU a 2-0 lead after one.
Santana and the Beavers continued their big game in the second when Ally Kutz led off with her fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. It was Oregon State's first postseason home run since Cambria Miranda hit one in the seventh inning against Louisville on May 19, 2007.
Ya Garcia and Gilmore then both drew walks with one away and were sacrificed over by Bouska. Santana stroked a double into the right-center field gap for RBI three and four in the contest. After just two innings, OSU owned a commanding 5-0 advantage.
In the third, Oregon State added yet another run to take a 6-0 lead. Lea Cavestany singled to begin the frame, stole second and moved to third on a single by Desiree Beltran. She would eventually score on an RBI groundout from Kutz.
Beltran got her second hit of the game and her first RBI when she launched a solo home run just under the scoreboard in left field in the fifth to make it 7-2 OSU. In the sixth, the Beavers extended their lead yet again when Garcia and Gilmore both singled to put runners on the corners. A Santana sacrifice fly scored Garcia for her fifth RBI of the game and senior Erin Guzy drove in Gilmore with a groundout to make the score 9-2 through six innings.
Marina Demore pitched four innings to get her ninth win of the year for Oregon State, allowing just two hits and two runs.
Santana's five RBI give her 41 this year, eighth in single-season history at OSU. Gilmore's three runs scored give her 47, which is good for third, and her 17 stolen bases this season now place her just one behind Mia Longfellow for tying the school record.
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