Pac-10 Softball: Oregon State Rallies to Defeat Oregon, 9-7

McGowan improved her all-time record against Oregon to a perfect 6-0.

Senior Brianne McGowan hit two home runs and improved her pitching record to 6-0 all-time against Oregon. Photo: OSU Athletics

EUGENE - Brianne McGowan hit a pair of home runs and sophomore DeAnn Young had a seventh inning 2-RBI single to lead No. 17 ranked Oregon State to a 9-7 come-from-behind victory over No. 10 Oregon in Friday’s softball Civil War as presented by the Northwest Dodge Dealers.

The win was the eighth straight for the Beavers (29-11; 3-1 Pac-10) in the series against the Ducks (36-5; 2-2 Pac-10) and moved Oregon State within one victory of clinching the 2006-07 Northwest Dodge Dealers Civil War Series.

The back-and-forth thriller was all Oregon at the on-set as UO scored a pair of runs in the opening inning.

Ann Marie Topps’ sacrifice fly scored Suzie Barnes, who had led off the inning with an infield single.

The Ducks made the score 2-0 when Sari-Jane Jenkins crossed the plate on a wild pitch.

The Ducks continued to pull away with three runs on four hits – including a pair of doubles – in the bottom of the third to make the score 5-0.

Oregon State mounted its comeback in the top of the fourth as junior Cambria Miranda and McGowan sparked the Beaver offense to score three runs when they sent back-to-back pitches from Oregon starter Alicia Cook over the fence.

Miranda’ shot sailed over the straight-away center field fence, while McGowan’s was a towering fly ball to left field.

A two-out RBI triple to the right-center field gap from freshman Dani Chisholm narrowed the Duck margin to 5-3 and knocked Cook from the circle.

OSU’s momentum grew as McGowan gave the Beavers their first lead of the game when she hit her second home run in as many at-bats with a 2-run blast over the center field fence that made the score 6-5 in the top of the fifth.

The home run was the senior pitcher’s 30th of her career, moving her into solo possession of fourth place on Oregon State’ all-time list.

Oregon mounted a rally of its own in the bottom of the fifth and regained the lead at 7-6 when Jennifer Salling blasted a 2-run home run over the center field fence – the exact location that McGowan had homered just minutes earlier.

McGowan (18-6) worked her way out of the inning by recording her 800th career strikeout when she fanned Topps to end the frame.

The Beavers’ second comeback of the game was completed when OSU loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning and Young drove in a pair of runs with a 2-out single that slid under the glove of Oregon’s diving second baseman.

OSU added an insurance run when Stefanie Ewing crossed the plate on a wild pitch.

McGowan improved her all-time record against Oregon to a perfect 6-0 in the circle and helped her own cause by going 3-for-4 from the plate with three RBI.

The Civil War continues on Saturday in Eugene with a 1:00 PM start.

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