Scorpion stings woman on OSU plane

— -- Oregon State's trip home from Los Angeles was delayed Saturday after a scorpion stung a woman aboard the commercial plane.

An Alaska Airlines spokesperson confirmed in an email to ESPN that the incident occurred while the plane was on the tarmac.

The woman reported being stung on the hand, and the plane returned to the gate, where she was checked by medical personnel but declined further treatment.

Alaska Airlines stated that it is uncertain how the scorpion got on the plane but acknowledged that the flight originated in Los Cabos, Mexico, where the plane was on the ground for approximately one hour.

Reached by phone aboard the plane Saturday night before the team took off for Oregon, Beavers coach Wayne Tinkle told ESPN that the woman was sitting two rows in front of him.

"The plane was coming from Mexico before us, and [the scorpion] was on the plane,'' Tinkle said. "The woman was a real champ. She acted like it was a mosquito bite. They got it off her but the needle was stuck."

Alaska Airlines stated that flight attendants killed the scorpion before maintenance staff checked the plane's overhead bins. The airline planned to have an exterminator "thoroughly check the plane" once the flight arrived in Portland.

The Beavers lost to USC 68-55 earlier Saturday night.