Oregon State wins back-and-forth affair, forces rubber match tomorrow
CORVALLIS, Or. — A two-run sixth lifted the Oregon State Beavers to a 7-6 victory over ASU on Saturday, tying the weekend series at a game apiece.
Saturday’s game went back and forth throughout, featuring five lead changes, including one in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.
Oregon State (14-28-1, 5-17-1 Pac-12) got on the board with two runs in the first inning, scoring one on an error by Kayla Lissy and another on an RBI single from Eliana Gottlieb.
The Devils (22-24, 6-17 Pac-12) quickly took the lead in the top of the second, with Makenna Harper clearing the bases with a two-out, bases-loaded triple and Yanni Acuña bringing Harper home with a single.
ON TOP @makennaharp clears the bases on a two-out triple!
T2 ASU 3 | OSU 2
Pac-12 Network #ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/FLjjSVTXRU
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) May 6, 2023
After a quiet third inning, Oregon State plated three in the fourth to take a 5-4 lead.
Kenzie Brown entered the game for the Devils, relieving Mac Osbrone, and gave up hits to three of the four batters she faced, including RBI singles from Kaiea Higa and Des Rivera.
ASU again responded instantly in the top half of the following inning, scoring twice in the top of the fifth. After an RBI double from Alexa Milius, Shannon Cunningham reached on an error by OSU’s Grace Messmer, a play that would have ended the inning with the score tied at four.
Instead, Jazmyn Rollin scored the go-ahead run to make it 5-4.
Rivera came up with another key knock for the Beavers in the bottom of the sixth, driving in two with a single to left to give Oregon State a 7-6 lead heading into the seventh.
The Devils came within feet of tying the game at seven in the seventh, but Yaya Acuña, who pinch-ran for Milius after she drew a walk to open the inning, was thrown out at home trying to score on a double from Sara Kinch. In the next at-bat, Lissy popped out to first to end the game.
7⃣6⃣2⃣ pic.twitter.com/7C8l1RXM5V
— Oregon State Softball (@BeaverSoftball) May 7, 2023
The regular-season finale will begin at noon on May 7. Not only is the series still undecided, but ASU’s seed in the Pac-12 tournament is still to be decided, based on the result of Sunday’s game and the result of the final two games between Arizona and California.