CORVALLIS, Ore. – A first-inning two-run single by
Kaylah Nelsen staked the Utes to an early lead, but the Oregon State Beavers came back to defeat the University of Utah softball team 6-3 on Saturday evening in Pac-12 Conference action at Kelly Field in Corvallis, Ore.
Utah's record is now 29-19 and 7-13 in conference, while the Beavers improved to 20-25 and 8-12.
The Utes pushed their first-inning scoring streak to four consecutive games by cobbling together a rally that began with a walk and a single. After both runners moved up on a sacrifice, Nelsen dunked a two-run hit into right that staked the visitors to a 2-0 advantage.
Through three innings, the Utes remained in front, thanks in large part to
Sarah Ladd escaping a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the second after OSU had tallied its first run, but the Beavers moved ahead in the fourth. They used four hits, including a three-run double off the bat of Abby Doerr to seize a 6-2 advantage.
The best chance for the Utes to erase that deficit came in the fifth, when a walk, an error and a hit loaded the bases. Oregon State's second miscue of the stanza brought in a run to narrow the deficit to three and
Shonty Passi then proceeded to hit a deep fly to right, but her bid for the go-ahead grand slam fell just short. That was the closest the Utes would come to eliminating the OSU lead.
Up Next
The series finale between these two teams will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT.
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