OKLAHOMA CITY – Oregon State’s bats went silent as the Beavers made a quiet exit from the Women’s College World Series after losing to Arizona 3-1 Friday night at OGE Energy Field.
Carlie Scupin smacked a double to center, scoring Amber Toven for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth to lift the Wildcats.
Arizona (39-21) advances in the elimination bracket, where the Wildcats play the Texas-Oklahoma loser at 4 p.m. Sunday. Texas and Oklahoma play in a winner’s bracket game Saturday.
Oregon State (39-22) was eliminated from the WCWS after losing its first two games. The Beavers remain winless in World Series play, having lost both games in 2006, their only other appearance.
Despite the return of pitcher Mariah Mazon to the lineup, the Beavers couldn’t rally. Mazon, who missed Thursday’s opener against Florida, went the distance, giving up six hits.
Arizona pitchers Devyn Netz and Hanah Bowen combined to hold Oregon State to three hits.
Both teams scored a run in their half of the second inning.
The Beavers struck first, as Kristalyn Romulo, pinch running for Frankie Hammoude, scored on Madison Simon’s sacrifice fly. But Arizona countered in the bottom of the second, as Sophia Carroll’s bloop double scored Blaise Biringer to tie the game at 1-1.
Arizona mildly threatened in the fourth, when the Wildcats put runners at first and second with two out. But Mazon struck out Carroll to end the threat, keeping the game knotted at 1-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Arizona tried to get something going with two out when Sharlize Palacios walked and Allie Skaggs appeared to reach base on an infield single. But after video review, the throw by Savanah Whatley, who was on her knees, beat Skaggs by the narrowest of margins.
Arizona finally broke through in the sixth. Izzy Pachos drew a leadoff walk, and was replaced by Toven as a pinch runner. The Wildcats didn’t fool around, as Scupin, the following batter, hit a drive that just escaped OSU centerfielder Elaina Gottlieb. Toven easily scored, and Scupin landed at second. Two hitters later, Biringer delivered a run-scoring single to make it 3-1 Wildcats.
Meanwhile, OSU was having trouble generating offense. The Beavers went down 1-2-3 in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, as Netz and Bowen combined to retire 11 consecutive hitters.
Simon finally broke the streak with one out in the seventh, when she walked after a 13-pitch at-bat. Whatley then reached base with two out on a walk. Kiki Escobar tried to keep the rally alive, but her sharply-hit liner to left was caught by a diving Jasmine Perezchica, ending the game.
During the regular season, Oregon State beat Arizona in two of three games in Corvallis. The Beavers and Wildcats were among the final four at-large teams to earn a berth in the 64-team NCAA tournament field.
–Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
