Chirichigno, Nishitomi Homer; OSU Falls To Ducks
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Juniors CJ Chirichigno and Kori Nishitomi both homered, but the Oregon State softball team could not hold off the Ducks, as No. 1 Oregon took a 10-5 win Saturday in the opening game of the Civil War series, presented by The Oregon College Savings Plan, PacificSource Health Plans, Your Local Ford Stores, Wells Fargo and McDonald’s.
The contest featured a new attendance record for the OSU Softball Complex, as 1,032 fans came out to the stadium. The previous mark was 1,008 spectators, set when Oregon State hosted No. 5 Arizona in 2007.
The Beavers (13-21, 3-8 Pac-12) led 2-0 after three innings, and were within one heading into the seventh, but a late surge by the Ducks (35-5, 9-1) was too much for Oregon State to overcome.
Nishitomi finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while freshman Amee Aarhus recorded a hit and a run. Senior pitcher Amanda Najdek allowed just one earned run in five innings of work in the losing effort.
The Beavers got the scoring started in the bottom of the third, as Aarhus singled to give Oregon State its first base-runner of the game, before Nishitomi brought her home with a blast over the fence in right-center.
The Ducks responded with six runs over the next two innings, but the Beavers bounced back with three in the sixth. Nishitomi started the rally off with a single, before stealing second. Junior Dani Gilmore brought her home with a double, and Chirichigno proceeded to launch a bomb to straight-away center to cut the advantage to 6-5, heading into the final frame. The Ducks would not relent, however, as Oregon scored four in the seventh to secure the victory.
The Civil War series will continue tomorrow with a 2 p.m. first pitch. The game will be carried live on Pac-12 Networks.
