In the final game of their three-part series, the Oregon State Softball team got a 6-5 win against the Stanford Cardinal on Sunday in Corvallis.
The win snapped Stanford’s eight-game winning streak. It couldn’t have happened in a more dramatic fashion with a show of skill from the Beavers and a walk-off home run by junior Lici Campbell.
For the game, Campbell was OSU’s hero and delivered what will likely be one of the more memorable moments in Beaver softball history, if not simply a highlight of the season. Campbell went 3-3 in the game with two runners batted in and one home run.
Assisting her was Grace Messmer, who had two hits in three at-bats. Messmer had two RBI and has helped move the Beavers closer to a winning record.
Rewind to the bottom of the seventh inning, when junior Eliana Gottlieb stepped up to the plate. Trailing the Cardinal 4-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Oregon State had never held the lead.
Gottlieb swung at the ball but grounded out to first base. The Beavers were two outs from defeat. Senior Abby Doerr, however, managed to win the mental battle with the pitcher and make it to first base on a pitching error.
Senior Jade Soto stepped in to pinch run for Doerr. With a person on base and only one out, the Beavers had more of a chance. When freshman Paige Doerr struck out swinging, Soto was able to make it to second base.
With two outs, and one person on second base, next in the batting lineup was Campbell. Trailing 4-5 in the bottom of the presumptive final inning with two outs and second base covered, she took advantage of her opportunity.
Smacking a pitch to left field, Campbell delivered a walk-off homerun to produce the end of the Cardinal’s hope of sweeping the Beavers.
The Beavers won the game by never falling too far behind.
While it was Stanford that took the lead in the top of the third inning and then built on it in the top of the fourth, the Beavers never trailed by more than two.
After Stanford’s Taryn Kern put two runs on the board in the fourth inning, senior Madison Simon and freshman Kaylee Oh scored. Entering the fifth of the seven innings, the Beavers trailed the Cardinal, 4-2.
It was when Simon homered in the bottom of the sixth that she was able to drive Campbell home to tie the game. In the following inning, Stanford’s Aly Kaneshiro homered and gave the lead back to the Cardinal.
The Cardinal finished the game with 11 hits and four RBI. The Beavers were better able to capitalize on their hits, logging six RBI on eight hits.
With the win, the Beavers improve to 17-23 with a 5-10 record in PAC-12 play. The Beavers are currently seventh out of nine in the PAC-12 while Stanford sits at the top of the conference with a now 13-2 record against league opponents while 34-7 overall.
The Beavers will next play in Eugene against their rivals, the Ducks, on Friday, April 19. Stanford meanwhile, will next play at UC Davis on Wednesday, April 17.
