Offensive Outburst Lifts OSU Over No 20 UW
SEATTLE, Wash. - An offensive outburst lifted the Oregon State softball team to a 14-8 victory over No. 20 Washington Sunday afternoon in Seattle Wash.
Freshman Lovie Lopez and redshirt sophomore Natalie Hampton headlined the offensive explosion, as Lopez hit a grand slam and Hampton finished with a pair of homers. Lopez’ homer was the third of her collegiate career, and she finished the day with two hits, five RBIs and two runs scored. Hampton ended the afternoon with three RBIs.
Junior Mikela Manewa came up big for the Beavers, recording three hits and two RBIs. Fellow junior CJ Chirichigno tallied two hits, two runs and two RBIs, while freshman Alysha Everett notched a hit, a run and an RBI.
Sophomore Taylor Cotton earned the win after entering the game in relief.
Oregon State jumped on top with a three-run first inning. Manewa started things off with a single to right, before Everett singled to put a pair aboard. Senior Dani Gilmore was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and junior Sammi Noland would proceed to plate Manewa with a sacrifice fly to deep center to give the Beavers an early 1-0 lead. Senior Hannah Akamine would walk to load the bases again, and Chirichigno smoked a single up the middle to plate a pair. Lopez came close to hitting a grand slam with two out, but the result was a loud out to end the inning as the Beavers took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the frame.
The Beavers would load the bases again in the third, as Noland and Chirichigno both walked, before freshman McKenna Arriola singled back up the middle. Lopez would convert this time, as she singled to right to give Oregon State a 4-0 advantage. Manewa would proceed to single to center, plating two more. Everett would cap off the innings with a sac-fly to right-center, and the Beavers took a seven-run lead into the bottom of the frame. The Huskies would score five runs in their half of the third to cut the edge to two.
Hampton started the fourth inning with a solo homer over the fence in right-center to bring the lead back to three. The Huskies put a pair on to start the bottom of the fourth, but Cotton entered in relief and used two strikeouts to retire three straight batters to work out of the jam.
The Beavers broke things open in the top of the sixth on Lopez’ grand slam. Oregon State’s first runner came on a two-out walk by Akamine. Chirichigno followed her with a single, and Arriola walked before Lopez fired one over the fence in center to extend the OSU lead to seven.
The Huskies would drive in three runs in the sixth inning to get back within four, but Hampton hit a two-run shot in the seventh go give the Beavers the win by six.
The Beavers will close out Pac-12 play Monday evening, when they play game three of the series with Washington at 7 p.m.
