Softball Splits on Day Two at Mary Nutter Classic

Friday, February 26

Cathedral City, CA

10:30 AM

Oregon State

12-1

Northwestern

5-5

Northwestern

Oregon State

Photo by: Dave Nishitani/Oregon State Athletics

February 27, 2016 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Athletic Communications

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The Oregon State softball team split its two Friday matchups at the Mary Nutter Classic, opening the day with a 5-3 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats, before falling to the Loyola Marymount Lions, 2-0, in the later game at the Big League Dreams Sports Park.

Senior right-hander Bev Miller (4-1) earned the win in the early game against Northwestern (5-5), holding the Wildcats to three runs on as many hits and seven walks with five strikeouts. The senior from Portland, Ore. gave way to freshman righty Meehra Nelson in the fifth inning, who picked up her first save after allowing only two walks with five strikeouts in three hitless, shutout innings. Amy Letourneau (2-3) was charged with the loss for Northwestern after allowing the Beavers (12-2) five runs on 13 hits and two walks with as many strikeouts.

Nelson (8-1) returned to the circle to start against Loyola Marymount (7-5), but was dealt her first collegiate loss despite limiting the Lions to two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Rachael Farrington (4-2) scattered six Beaver hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts over seven shutout innings to pick up the win.

Senior second baseman Mikela Manewa paced the Beavers offensively on 4-for-6 hitting (.667) with a run scored and a HBP. Sophomore shortstop McKenna Arriola went 3-for-6 (.500) with a pair of RBI, a walk and a HBP. Freshman center fielder Jessica Garcia went 2-for-4 (.500) with an RBI, run scored and two walks, while sophomore left fielder Lovie Lopez was 3-for-7 with a double, an RBI and a walk.

The Oregon State softball team returns to action tomorrow for its final day at the Mary Nutter Classic. The Beavers close the five-game tournament on Saturday against Bethune-Cookman at 10 a.m. PT and New Mexico State at 2:30 p.m. PT.

Game One: Oregon State 5, Northwestern 3
Oregon State fell into an early hole against Northwestern, as the Wildcats put up a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. With one out, a HBP put the Wildcats' lead runner on base, who scored on the following triple from Andrea Filler. Letourneau followed with a successful squeeze bunt, plating Filler from third for an early 2-0 lead.

Miller dealt a blank top of the second inning to hold the score at 2-0, setting up an Oregon State two-run home half of the frame. Manewa and Alysha Everett led off the frame with singles before Garcia drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Arriola was hit by pitch three offerings later to force in the first run, and Lopez followed with an infield single to pull across the next and tie the game up at two apiece.

The Wildcats scored on a bases-loaded walk in the top of the third, but the Beavers answered with a pair of runs to lead 4-3 after three. Riley Gregoire, who entered as a pinch runner after a Natalie Hampton single, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. Shelby Weeks knocked her in on an RBI single, advanced to second on a Kayleen Shafer single and stole third before scoring the go-ahead run on Garcia's single up the middle.

The Beavers added an insurance run on an Arriola RBI single in the fifth inning. Nelson entered for Miller in the home half of the fifth and allowed neither a single run nor a single hit to the Wildcats for the remainder of the game, as she earned the save en route to sealing the Beavers' 5-3 win.

Game Two: Loyola Marymount 2, Oregon State 0
Loyola Marymount led 2-0 after four innings with a run in each of the first and fourth frames. The Lions' Meghan von Behren worked the count full to lead off the game and fouled off numerous offerings to extend her at-bat to 15 pitches before driving a solo home run over the fence in left center.

In the fourth inning, LMU put its leadoff batter, Alicia Brown, on first on what was ruled to be catcher's interference. The miscue proved costly, as the Lions' Shianne Ybarra doubled to left center to drive home Amanda Dirks, who replaced the runner on a fielder's choice, for a 2-0 lead.

The Beavers' best opportunity to score came in the bottom of the sixth. Lopez led off the frame with a double to right center, and was followed by a one-out walk from Hampton. Manewa was HBP to load the bases with one out, but a popout and flyout stranded all three runners and held the score at 2-0.

Oregon State again was in position to score in the bottom of the seventh, as Garcia reached on a one-out single and moved to third on Arriola's following single. However, the Beavers were unable to bring across runners again, stranding their eighth and ninth runners of the game as it came to a close on a foul out and a popout.

For more information on the Oregon State softball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/OregonStateSB, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateSB or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateSB.

About OSU Athletics: The mission of the OSU Department of Athletics is to provide opportunities to young people and develop leaders through a tradition of academic and athletic achievement in a progressive, inclusive environment of mutual respect.