Temple University Athletics
Softball Shocks #25 Oregon State in Perfect Day at Kajikawa Classic
2.16.08 | Softball
The Cherry and White (2-2) used some late-inning heroics and an outstanding pitching performance to upset the Beavers (3-6). Trailing 2-1 entering the sixth inning, junior Courtney Norene blasted a two-run homer to give the Owls 3-2 lead. In the very next at-bat, senior Natalie Wagner made it back-to-back homers for the Owls, as she hit one out of the park to pad the lead to 4-2.
The Owls would have never even been in the position for late-game heroics if it wasn't for the pitching performance of senior Brianna Dairy. Dairy (1-0) pitched a gem against the talented Beavers, limiting them to just two runs on four hits.
"Our whole team won that game today," said head coach Casey Dickson. "Our pitching controlled the batters, our defense made plays, and our hitting was a powerful force. The coaching staff asked the team to come out fighting and do everything in their power to win the battle against Oregon State, and that is exactly what they did".
The win marks the first victory over a Pac-10 school in Temple softball history. The Cherry and White were previously 0-4 against Pac-10 schools. The Owls carried the momentum of the Oregon State upset into their next game, as they topped Idaho State 8-5 to complete the perfect day.
"For our team to keep going and not let up after the Oregon State win just made everything so much sweeter, said Dickson. "We showed that the Oregon State win wasn't just a fluke. We are a good team and we proved that today".
Building off that momentum, sophomore Krystle Metzler led off the game with a solo home run to give the Owls an early 1-0 led. The Owls would tack on one more in the inning when freshmen Samantha Durgan scored off an Idaho State throwing error, making the score 2-0.
The Bengals would rebound in the fourth when they scored three unearned runs behind some walks and an error on the Cherry and White side, giving them a 3-2 lead.
The Owls would regain the lead in sixth. With senior Anna Rico at first following a bunt single, Norene doubled to put runners at second and third. Senior Natalie Wagner would knock home Rico to tie the game 3-3. Both Wagner and pitch-runner sophomore Lauren Coutu would then score on an Idaho State error to give the Owls a 5-4 lead.
After the Bengals added a run in the bottom half the sixth to make it 5-4, it was time for Norene to step up once again for the Cherry and White. She blasted her second crucial homer of the day over left field, giving the Owls a late 8-4 lead. Norene finished the day 2-4 with three RBI and also added a double.
The Bengals would make it interesting in the final frame with three consecutive singles, but the Owls hung on for the 8-5 victory.
Junior Katie Burdeaux picked up her first victory on the mound this season, striking out six in five and two-thirds innings of work. Dairy, the winning pitcher against Oregon State, struck out two in one and one-third innings of work.
The Owls will look to make it a winning weekend in the desert, as they face Oklahoma State tomorrow at noon.
