Oregon State
Washington
OSU Falls to Washington in Series Finale, 7-2
April 25, 2016 | Softball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State softball team fell to the 10th-ranked Washington Huskies, 7-2, on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game Pac-12 series at the OSU Softball Complex.
Neither team committed an error for the entirety of the game, but Washington (30-10, 11-7 Pac-12) tallied 13 hits, more than the Huskies collected in the previous two games combined. Oregon State (27-16-1, 6-12 Pac-12) recorded six hits on Sunday, and left 10 runners on base.
“We've got to do a better job of making adjustments,” Oregon State head coach Laura Berg said. “This weekend, we swung too many times at the up pitch and pitches that weren't strikes. We've got to lay off of those. We had all three aspects of our game working on Saturday, and I hope our team understands that we can play with teams like this. It's about closing the deal when we need to.”
Senior right-hander Bev Miller (11-9) was charged with the loss in a three-inning start after allowing three runs on six hits and a walk. Freshman righty Meehra Nelson pitched the final four innings, allowing the Huskies four runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Freshman right-hander Taran Alvelo (16-5) picked up the win for the Huskies in her second complete-game outing of the series. Her final line included two runs allowed to the Beavers on six hits and five walks with six strikeouts.
Oregon State was led offensively by sophomore left fielder Lovie Lopez, who went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk. Freshman right fielder Shelby Weeks collected her fifth multi-hit game in the past eight with a 2-for-4 performance that included a double. Senior second baseman Mikela Manewa and sophomore designated player Alysha Everett added one hit apiece.
After a scoreless first inning, Washington opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. The Huskies manufactured their runs with four straight one-out at-bats, with runs scored by UW's Morganne Flores and Trysten Melhart, who both reached on singles. The Huskies' Tannon Snow drove in the first run on an RBI single, while UW's Jennie McNeill plated another on a fielder's choice as the Beavers faced a 2-0 deficit after two innings.
Washington got its third run of the game on a two-out rally in the top of the third inning. The Huskies' Kimberlee Souza accounted for the run scored, as she was the first to reach on a single to left and scored on a Flores RBI double. UW extended its lead to 5-0 in the next inning on a two-run home run off the bat of Ali Aguilar.
Lopez slugged her fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the deficit to three at 5-2, but Aguilar answered with her second two-run home run in the next frame to extend the lead back to five at 7-2.
Oregon State had the opportunity to carve into the UW lead in the sixth inning, loading the bases on an Everett single, Kayleen Shafer walk and Christie Langlois HBP. However, the Beavers hit into a tough-luck lineout at third base and struck out, stranding all three runners.
The Oregon State softball team is off next week. The Beavers return to action at Arizona from May 6-8 for OSU's final road series of the regular season.
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.
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