The sunglasses did more than give Alicia Cook a cool presence in the pitching circle.
They hid the bruised left eye of the Oregon pitching ace. The senior turned a trying last two days into a dominating pitching performance in a two-hitter Sunday at Howe Field in the Ducks’ 4-1 win against No. 22 California.
Before the weekend even started, Oregon lost Cook, the staff ace, to an unusual and untimely injury. Neena Bryant hit a ball over the center field wall in Thursday’s practice, only to have it collide with the face of an unsuspecting Cook. X-rays were negative for broken bones, but Cook’s left eye swelled shut and she spent Friday and Saturday sidelined.
Sunday, she was able to open her left eye and took care of Cal’s offense.
“The swelling went down and it felt a lot better today,” Cook said.
She benefited from a resurgent offensive performance that featured a five-hit, four-run third inning. It was the most runs by Oregon in an inning in Pacific-10 Conference play this season.
Cook, who allowed an unearned run and had four strikeouts, improved her record to 15-10 and helped Oregon recover from losses to Stanford on Friday and California on Saturday.
“The last couple weekends at home I definitely want to be on the field with my team trying to get those wins before regionals,” Cook said. “It was hard to sit out, but it felt good to get back out there.”
It hasn’t helped Oregon’s pitching staff that freshman pitcher Brittany Rumfelt, who had shown signs of being a study presence with a three-hitter at Stanford and gave up seven-hits and three runs in a loss at Corvallis, has struggled in her last two starts.
She earned a win against Portland State on Wednesday, despite an efficient Vikings’ offensive performance, and earned the loss Saturday when she gave up four runs in the first two innings – six in all.
“She’s a young player, a young pitcher,” coach Kathy Arendsen said. “When she makes mistakes, she makes them over the plate and good hitters like Pac-10 hitters grab them and jump on them.”
Cal’s Bernice Masaniai capitalized on a Rumfelt first-pitch changeup she threw high and over the plate and sent it over the left field fence for a three-run homer in the first inning.
When Cal scored its final two runs, they came because of a growing trend of errors. In the fifth inning, Taylor Kelly singled and Gina Leomiti was plunked two batters later. A playable single by Masaniai went towards leftfielder Sari-Jane Jenkins and went uncharacteristically by the junior to allow both Cal runners to score and put the Golden Bears ahead, 6-0.
More miscues the day before left Oregon on the wrong side of a 6-0 loss to No. 8 Stanford.
Pitcher Melissa Rice had held an even pitching duel with Stanford’s Missy Penna until the fifth inning, when a typical grounder led to the end of what had been a scoreless game through four innings.
Maddy Coon hit a routine ball to second baseman Cortney Kivett that instead went through the freshman’s legs and allowed Stanford to go-ahead, 1-0.
Stanford brought in its second run in the next inning when first baseman Carlyn Re couldn’t catch a toss from new second baseman Hannah Barril in time.
Oregon’s fielding struggles, though, were exemplified by a failed rundown in the seventh inning.
Melisa Koutz made a failed hit and run attempt that left teammate Autumn Albers stuck between third and home. Multiple throws between Joanna Gail and catcher Ashley Kivett ended with Albers safe at third.