Softball Defeats No. 14 South Carolina
March 6, 1998
FRESNO, Calif. - Oregon State and South Carolina played six innings of scoreless softball before OSU's Heather Chinn came up with a two-out pinch hit RBI single in the top of the seventh to lift the No. 20 Beavers to a 1-0 victory over the No. 14 Gamecocks at the Fresno State Classic Friday.
Both teams had scoring opportunities early on, but neither could capitalize. OSU stranded two runners in the second inning before leaving the bases loaded in the fourth, and South Carolina had a chance to score in the fifth. The Gamecocks had runners on second and third with no outs, but OSU pitcher Tarrah Beyster retired the next three batters to keep the game scoreless.
In the top of the seventh inning, Denise Brown led off the inning with a single to left centerfield and then advanced to second on Kim Herman's sacrifice. Kelli Kranz then grounded to second base, but Brown was able to advance to third on the play.
Chinn, who's hitting .444 in RBI opportunity at-bats, came in to pinch hit and picked up two strikes before ripping a base hit to right field to score Brown and put the Beavers on top.
"Heather Chinn really stepped up. One of the toughest things to do in our sport is come off the bench as a pinch hitter," said assistant coach Gina Vecchione. "It's always in a pressure situation, and it's not easy. It's exciting to see her succeed."
Beyster kept the Gamecocks off the bases in the seventh when she retired three straight batters to blank her opponents for the sixth time this season. She allowed just five hits and struck out five batters with no walks to improve to 9-1 on the year.
"Everybody stayed together and stayed positive," said Vecchione. "Once again, our defense has been championship caliber and our pitching has been great. That's been the key, and that's what it takes."
The Beavers improved to 12-3 with the win, while South Carolina dropped to 6-5. Oregon State will face Notre Dame at 8:00 a.m. and Western Illinois at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday as the Fresno State Classic continues.
Oregon State Softball at Fresno State Classic
No. 20 Oregon State (12-3) 000 000 1 - 1 4 0 No. 14 South Carolina (6-5) 000 000 0 - 0 5 2 Beyster and Herman. Brown, McMillin (5) and Hoshour. WP- Beyster (9-1). LP- McMillin (1-2). 2B- Brown (SC).
