Oregon State
Arizona State
Langlois' Walk-off RBI Lifts Beavers Past ASU, 1-0
May 13, 2016 | Softball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Pinch hitter Christie Langlois delivered the walk-off RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Oregon State softball team won its series opener against the Arizona State Sun Devils, 1-0, on Thursday at the OSU Softball Complex.
Freshman right-hander Meehra Nelson (16-8) worked a complete-game shutout, allowing only three hits and a walk with three strikeouts to hold the game at a scoreless tie heading to the bottom of the seventh inning. First baseman Natalie Hampton led off the frame with a single, and her pinch runner, Riley Gregoire, moved to second on a two-out walk drawn by Lovie Lopez.
With runners on first and second with two outs, Oregon State head coach Laura Berg made the decision to pinch hit Langlois, who slugged an RBI double to plate Gregoire from second and give the Beavers a 1-0 win.
“Christie is a confident athlete and has a lot of experience under her belt, so I went with one of our veterans in that situation,” Berg said. “There's going to be wins when it's easy and wins when it's not so easy. Today was one of those days when it wasn't so easy, and these ladies fought and showed some grit in that last inning. They wanted to win.”
For the Sun Devils, the tough-luck loss was charged to Kelsey Kessler (15-11), who allowed only the single run on four hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts.
Shortstop McKenna Arriola and third baseman Madison Anthony also recorded singles for the Beavers. Jennifer Soria, Abby Spiel and Katee Aguirre accounted for the Sun Devils' three base hits.
The Sun Devils advanced past first only once for the entirety of the game, as Soria reached third in the top of the sixth inning on a double and Beaver error. Soria broke for the plate in the ensuing at-bat taken by ASU's Abby Spiel, but Anthony's throw home beat Soria and catcher Kayleen Shafer applied the tag to keep the Sun Devils off the board.
The series between Oregon State and Arizona State continues on Friday, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. PT. The regular season comes to a close with the series finale, the Beavers' Senior Day, at noon PT on Saturday.
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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