Beavers remain in third with two to play

Corvallis Gazette-Times

TEMPE, Ariz. — Oregon State senior Adrienne Alo came up big in the clutch, belting two home runs including a game-winning walk-off shot in the bottom of the eighth inning as the No. 7 Oregon State softball team defeated No. 9 Arizona State 3-2 in the first game of a Pacific-10 Conference doubleheader Thursday.

Arizona State used a six-run third inning to break open the second game en route to a 9-2 victory.

The first game had been scheduled for April 2 in Corvallis but was postponed due to wet weather.

With the split, Oregon State is 38-11 overall and 10-8 in Pac-10 play. ASU is 44-13 and 8-10.

The Beavers got a bit of redemption with the opening-game win. The Sun Devils ended OSU’s school record 28-game winning streak with an eight-inning, 3-2 victory on April 1.

Oregon State’s Brianne McGowan (24-5) and Arizona State’s Desiree Serrano both had no-hitters until the offenses came alive in the fourth inning.

ASU took a 1-0 lead after back-to-back hits to start the frame. Heidi Knabe rolled a two-out RBI single up the middle into a diving Paige Lowe’s glove.

The Beavers got the run back in the bottom of the fourth behind Alo’s seventh home run of the season. The fill-in third baseman (junior Sherina Galvan missed the game with a family emergency) belted a solo shot over the right-center field fence to make it 1-1.

Arizona State regained the lead at 2-1 when Katie Cochran belted a fifth-inning home run.

OSU fought its way back behind two hits and a walk in the bottom of the sixth and tied the game when Mia Longfellow scored on an RBI single to center from Lisa Allen.

McGowan retired the middle of the Sun Devils’ lineup in order during the top of the eighth, setting up Alo’s two-out walk-off shot over the left field wall in the bottom of the frame.

Alo ranks second in all-time home runs at Oregon State with 34 and moved into fourth-place in the Beavers’ record book with 119 career RBI.

Alo and Allen each went 2-for-3, while McGowan scattered five hits and struck out four in her 21st complete game of the season.

The Beavers led 2-1 heading to the bottom of the third in the nightcap thanks to a solo home run by Allen and an RBI single by Alo.

However, the Sun Devils erupted for six runs in the bottom of the inning for a 7-2 lead.

Cochran’s one-out home run started the ASU rally and the Sun Devils continued the barrage with doubles from Michelle Smith and Kristen Miller.

Oregon State 3, Arizona State 2 (8)

ARIZONA STATE 000 110 00 — 2 5 1

OREGON STATE 000 101 01 — 3 5 1

McGowan and Allen. Dodd, Serrano and Knabe. WP: McGowan (24-5). LP: Serrano (15-7). HR: Alo 2 (OSU), Cochran (ASU).

Arizona State 9, Oregon State 2

Game 2

OREGON STATE 011 000 0 — 2 6 3

ARIZONA STATE 016 020 x — 9 11 1

McElroy, Klever (3), McElroy (5) and Ewing, Allen (2). Burkhart and Knabe. WP: Burkhart (23-6). LP: McElroy (14-6). 2B: Smith (ASU), Miller (ASU). HR: Allen (OSU), Cochran (ASU)