Akamine Homers, But Beavers Fall to Bruins
CORVALLIS - Senior catcher Hannah Akamine hit her third home run of the season, but the Beavers could not overcome a strong No. 7 UCLA squad as the Bruins took a 12-2 win Saturday afternoon at the OSU Softball Complex.
Akamine’s homer was a two-run shot, and brought her season total to 27 RBIs. Freshman Lovie Lopez went 2-for-3 in the contest, while junior Sammi Noland notched a hit and scored a run. Senior Dani Gilmore walked in all three of her plate appearances, bringing her career total to 122 bases on balls.
Redshirt sophomore Natalie Hampton recorded a hit and a walk, and freshman Alysha Everett notched a hit.
The Bruins (39-8, 13-3 Pac-12) got on the board first, plating five runs in the opening frame. UCLA would proceed to add three more runs in the second for an early eight-run advantage.
The Beavers (25-21, 5-14) would strike back in the bottom of the second, when Noland ripped a single to left, before Akamine crushed a two-run homer over the fence in left-center. Oregon State looked like it might tack on a few more runs in the frame, when Everett and Lopez both singled, but the runners were stranded. The Bruins would score a run of their own in the top of the third to stretch the edge back to seven.
It looked like the Beavers might get on the board in the bottom of the third inning, when Gilmore and Hampton walked, but Oregon State could not convert. OSU would put a pair on again in the fifth inning, but both runners were left on base. UCLA would score three in the seventh to take the win.
The Beavers and Bruins will play game two of their weekend series tomorrow at noon.
