Beavers Battle Pirates, Win 2-1
HONOLULU, Hawaii – The Oregon State softball team (18-5) continued play at the Outrigger Resort Spring Fling Tournament Thursday afternoon, taking on the East Carolina Pirates (6-12). The Beavers defeated the Pirates 2-1 in eight innings when pinch runner Amee Aarhus scored on a CJ Chirichigno hit. Bev Miller went the distance for her 10th win of the season as the Beavers extended their winning streak to eight.
The Beavers got the first run across in the bottom of the third. Lovie Lopez reached on a fielding error from the Pirates and then advanced to second on a Mikela Manewa single. Lopez came in to score on the next play when McKenna Arriola put a single into center field, giving the Beavers the 1-0 lead.
The Pirates scored in the top of the seventh, with a solo home run to left field. The Pirates got another runner on with a one out single, but a double play neutralized the threat.
The game would enter extra innings, with the Pirates stranding a runner at third in the top of the inning. With the game in extra innings the Beavers had a runner placed on second base. Aarhus entered the game as a pinch runner on second. She advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Sammi Noland and then came in to score on the next play when Chirichigno singled into left center, giving the Beavers the 2-1 victory.
Miller allowed only three hits in the game and faced just five batters above the minimum in her 13th complete game of the season. She struck out nine batters while only walking two and allowing the lone run.
Arriola went 1-for-4 with an RBI while Lopez went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.
Gilmore went 2-for-4 in the game, extending her hitting streak to 14 games. In that streak Gilmore had eight games with at least two hits. She has a .494 batting average on the year with a .857 slugging percentage while scoring 30 runs and totaling 22 RBI.
Chirichigno went 2-for-3 with an RBI. The senior has an eight game hitting streak and has a .389 batting average on the year with a .625 slugging percentage and 19 RBI.
Oregon State will return to the field Friday, March 6 at 8 p.m. PT when they will face the host University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine. The two teams had the previously schedule game Wednesday evening cancelled due to rain.
