March 27, 2002
Box Score
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Dueling shutouts and the Rebels' hopes for an upset of 14th-ranked Oregon State were spoiled when a controversial fourth ball was called on a full-count pitch, allowing the winning run to score in a 1-0 loss by the UNLV softball team on Wednesday.
UNLV (18-22) rode the pitching of starter Geney Orris, who dominated the Beavers' lineup for five innings before the game-breaking run scored in the bottom of the sixth. OSU leadoff hitter Clare Burnam collected only the second hit off Orris, ripping a one-out double down the left-field line. Michelle Chariton followed Burnham with an infield single to put runners at the corners. Orris walked Brynnen Guthrie to load the bases and set up the force at home while pitching to cleanup hitter Shelly Prochaska. The move worked as Prochaska grounded into a fielder's choice for the inning's second out.
Orris then got ahead of Kelly Peterson with a 1-2 count and looked as if she might escape the threat. Peterson, however, rested the bat on her shoulder as three straight screwballs on the inside corner were called balls, and the walk forced the winning run home.
The run broke up an outstanding pitching duel between Orris and OSU starting pitcher Monica Hoffman. Both pitchers cruised through five innings without even a threat of a score until Oregon State (27-9) managed its back-to-back hits in the sixth.
Despite suffering the Rebels' third 1-0 loss in their last five games, Orris (3-5) gave up just three hits on the afternoon and completed her fourth game. Hoffman (9-4) tossed a three-hitter of her own and struck out nine.
Lisa Moses continued to be UNLV's most productive hitter, claiming two of those hits. Her double to the gap in left center marked the Rebels' best scoring opportunity of the day.
Positively, the Rebs' turned in their third straight errorless game and posted an impressive .993 fielding percentage over their five-game Oregon road trip.
Ending its seven-game road swing, UNLV will enjoy just a single day of rest before kicking off conference play against BYU in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Eller Media Stadium on Friday, March 29.
