Believing Beavers rally past Washington in bottom of the seventh

By Steve Gress


Gazette-Times sports editor

Dani Chisholm felt if she could get a hit to start the seventh inning, the Oregon State softball team would have a chance to score some runs.

However, getting a hit against Danielle Lawrie wasn’t an easy task.

The University of Washington pitcher had allowed just two over the first six innings, and hadn’t given up one since Stefanie Ewing’s leadoff single in the second.

But Chisholm was able to coax a ground ball back up the middle and the Beavers used three hit batters, two walks and two hits to rally from a 4-1 deficit for a thrilling 5-4 Pacific-10 Conference win at the OSU Softball Complex on Sunday.

The 16th-ranked Beavers completed the comeback when Mia Longfellow drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch off reliever Caitlin Noble to score Paige Lowe with the game-winner.

“I really wanted to make her throw some strikes,” Longfellow said. “Even though she got two in there, that 3-2 count makes her feel more pressure than me.

“I looked it all the way in to her glove and I took a big deep breath after it hit the catcher’s glove. I’m like, ‘OK, here we go.’ So that was fun.”

The Beavers (33-13, 5-3) won two of three games over the weekend after knocking off UCLA on Friday and falling to the Huskies (27-11, 4-4) on Saturday. OSU heads to Arizona next weekend.

“Anytime you can come out of any Pac-10 weekend with two wins is a positive,” OSU coach Kirk Walker said. “Both teams are ranked ahead of us and hopefully that will bode well for us when it comes to selection time that we’re doing some good things.”

The Beavers have made a habit of late-inning heroics lately. They trailed Oregon 5-0 after three in Eugene on April 6 and managed to score three in the seventh to take a 9-7 win before scoring three in the seventh to tie the Ducks on April 7.

“It just shows the heart we have on this team,” Longfellow said. “No matter what the score is, we’re going to keep fighting.

“We really don’t get down. When you’re faced with that last chance, you try that extra little bit harder and you give it all you have.”

DeAnn Young had the key hit in that first win over Oregon, delivering a two-run single to put the Beavers up. She had a clutch two-run single on Sunday to tie the game, 4-4.

After Chisholm singled, Lawrie hit Cambria Miranda and Brianne McGowan to load the bases before hitting Ewing on a 3-2 pitch to force in Chisholm.

Young then delivered a single to right and pinch runner Kellie Roberts beat the throw to the plate to tie it.

After a failed bunt attempt, a walk and a grounder back to the pitcher, Longfellow worked a walk for the win.

“We have fight and heart,” Young said. “We tell ourselves we’re going to get runners on base. We talk about 60 feet and everyone got 60 feet. You just have to keep playing.”

The Beavers were able to mount the comeback thanks in part to Ta’Tyana McElroy’s relief work in the top of the inning.

After the Huskies loaded the bases with one out, McElroy relieved McGowan and got a strike out and fly out to keep the game at 4-1.

“That was huge,” Walker said. “That was the momentum that started the seventh inning for us offensively. That’s the best two-batter win you’re ever going to get.”

Added Longfellow: “She came in and threw some strikes and made some key pitches and that really moved the motivation up for us.”

After the teams traded runs in the first, Washington took a 4-1 lead thanks to a solo home run from Lawrie in the fourth and Dena Tyson belted a two-run shot in the fifth.

The Huskies had great production from Tyson, Lauren Greer and Lawrie, the 4-5-6 hitters. They combined to go 8-for-10 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Oregon State 5, Washington 4

WASHINGTON 100 120 0 — 4 11 0

OREGON STATE 100 000 4 — 5 4 0

Lawrie, Noble (7) and Matthews. McGowan, McElroy (7) and Ewing. WP: McElroy (11-6). LP: Noble (11-4). 2B: Moojen (UW). 3B: Charters (UW). HR: Lawrie (UW), Tyson (UW)

Hits: UW 11 (Charters, Lastrapes, Tyson 3, Greer 2, Lawrie 3, Moojen). OSU 4 (Chisholm, Miranda, Ewing, Young)

RBIs: UW 4 (Lastrapes, Tyson 2, Lawrie). OSU 4 (Longfellow, Ewing, Young 2)