OSU softball storylines from the weekend

The Beavers went 3-3 at the Kajikawa/ASU Classic, defeating Stephen F. Austin (9-0), Northwestern (7-3) and San Jose State (1-0) and losing to Oklahoma (14-2), Creighton (5-3) and Kentucky (5-3).

Here are five storylines from the trip:
Cavestany’s walk-off caps off weekend: In the Beavers’ sixth and final game in Tempe, senior outfielder Lea Cavestany hit a two-out, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to give OSU a 1-0 win over San Jose State on Sunday.

Demore pitches well: Senior pitcher Marina Demore appeared in five games — starting three — and altogether had a quality tournament in the circle. Demore pitched two complete-game shutouts: Thursday versus Stephen F. Austin (7.0 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K) and Sunday versus San Jose State (7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, 5 K). In Saturday’s 7-3 win over Northwestern, she allowed three unearned runs on eight hits and two walks. Demore’s only real struggles came against Oklahoma, when she retired just two of the eight batters she faced.

Hampton’s big weekend: Freshman first baseman Natalie Hampton had quite the debut to her collegiate career. She homered in the season opener and was the Beavers’ most productive player at the plate all tournament long, going 8-for-19 (.421) and driving in nine runs, six more than anyone else on the team. Hampton’s big weekend included a grand slam versus Northwestern.

Shadinger Ks nine: Prior to the start of the season, head coach Laura Berg said freshman pitcher Sarah Shadinger could “make the ball do things I’ve never seen before.” In her one appearance at the ASU Classic, Shadinger backed up her coach’s words by striking out nine batters in six innings of work versus Creighton. The effort came in a loss, however, as Shadinger was tagged for a 3-run homerun with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning that ended up being the difference in a 5-3 defeat.

Gilmore limited: Sophomore centerfielder Dani Gilmore, who started all 59 games last season and was second on the team with a .322 average, missed the Beavers’ first three games with an illness. She hit leadoff the final three games of the weekend — collecting two hits and eight at-bats — but did not play in the field. Regular starting outfielders Hannah Bouska and Lea Cavestany split center field duties in Gilmore’s absence, while seniors Ashley Sanchez and Maggie Doremus each saw time at the corner outfield spots.

Grady Garrett, managing editor

On Twitter @gradygarrett

managing@dailybarometer.com