Fiedler lifts Washington to a walk-off win over Oregon State

The Washington Huskies took the opening game of their series against the Oregon State Beavers thanks to a walk-off double from Kinsey Fiedler.

After a four-run first inning, it seemed as if coach Heather Tarr and the No. 8 Washington Huskies were going to cruise to a victory over the unranked Oregon State Beavers.

Shortstop Rylee Holtorf hit a leadoff home run to start the night, which was quickly followed by right fielder Alana Johnson’s three-run blast, her team-leading ninth home run of the season.

However, the Huskies were able to manage just four hits for the rest of the night, as the Beavers stormed back to tie the game with three runs in the second inning and one more in the third. That is, until Kinsey Fiedler stepped to the plate.

The former No. 1 overall recruit, who has taken a major step forward at the plate this season, sent a double into left center field, scoring Avery Hobson to send Washington home with a 5-4 victory.

In the circle, sophomore Ruby Meylan allowed 4 earned runs on 8 hits across 4 2/3 innings for the Huskies before giving way to first-year Sidne Peters, who went the rest of the way. She allowed just 2 walks against 4 strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings to earn her fourth win of the season.

The Huskies improved to 23-6 overall and 7-3 in Pac-12 play while the Beavers dropped to 15-17 and 3-4 against conference opponents. The two teams will return to the field for the second matchup of their three game series on Friday at 6:00.