Gilmore Extends Streak, Beavers Fall Short

LOS ANGELES – Junior Dani Gilmore stretched her hitting streak to seven games, but the Oregon State softball team could not overcome a strong pitching performance from No. 2 UCLA, as the Bruins took a 9-1 victory Friday evening in Los Angeles.

Gilmore’s streak now matches the longest by any Beaver this season. She finished the day 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Junior Kori Nishitomi tallied a run and a walk, while fellow junior Ya Garcia finished 2-for-2 with a walk. Freshman Alexis Gonzalez recorded one hit in the contest.

The Beavers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first. Nishitomi and Garcia started things off with a pair of walks, before Gilmore ripped a double down the right-field line for the second straight day to bring Nishitomi home. The advantage was short-lived, however, as the Bruins blasted a home run in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead.

The Bruins would add a run on a solo homer in the fourth to stretch the edge to two, before tacking on another with a solo-blast in the fifth. The Beavers looked like they might mount a late comeback, as Garcia and Gonzalez both reached in the sixth inning, but both runners were stranded. The Bruins proceeded to add five in the sixth to end the game early.

The teams will wrap up the series tomorrow at noon.