The Oregon softball team took extra innings, but found a way to emerge victorious from the finale of the Louisville Slugger Classic in Las Vegas last weekend.
Oregon’s 4-3 come-from-behind win against San Jose State clinched a winning record for the tournament at 3-2. Overall, Oregon is 5-5 and now looks ahead to return to Palm Springs next week, this time for the Palm Springs Tournament.
“Our pitchers continue to get stronger, and I liked how we had players all around the field stepped up and made critical plays on offense and defense,” coach Kathy Arendsen said in a media release.
The Ducks put up the first run Sunday on a home run from Lovena Chaput. San Jose State scored twice in the fourth inning for a 2-1 lead. Neena Bryant’s home run tied it in the sixth inning. Sari-Jane Jenkins hit in the game-winner with a single in the eighth that scored Ashley Kivett from third base.
Oregon opened the tournament with a 13-2 blowout of Northwestern State powered by the first home runs of the season by Joanna Gail and Chaput. The Ducks scored at least a run in each inning with one in the second, four in the third, three in the fourth and five in the fifth in the run-rule shortened contest.
Gail had three hits in the game, an RBI and two runs scored. Chaput was an even 2 for 2 with four RBIs and four runs scored.
Ashley Kivett’s home run wasn’t enough to jump start Oregon’s offense in a 6-1 loss Friday afternoon to Kansas. Kivett’s solo shot in the second inning brought the Ducks within 2-1, but Kansas scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings and added two more in the seventh.
Pitcher Alicia Cook pitched 4 1/3 innings and struck out a season-high seven batters before Melissa Rice came in and pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief.
Oregon was on the wrong end of an 11-3 decision to Bradley on Saturday. The two teams were even at one after two innings, but Bradley scored nine runs in the fourth inning and blew the game wide open.
The Ducks offense had seven hits with Chaput and Sari-Jane Jenkins each having two apiece. Rice allowed nine hits and six runs in 4 1/3 innings.
But spurred on by the morning defeat, Oregon rebounded Saturday evening with a 3-0 shutout of South Carolina. The game was a rematch from when Oregon lost to the Gamecocks in last year’s NCAA Regional finale in Columbia, S.C.
Oregon scored its first run in the opening inning and built its lead to 3-0 with two more runs in the seventh inning. Cook’s shutout gives her 17 in her Oregon career and ranks her fourth all-time at Oregon. The complete game was her 43rd and moves her past former teammate Amy Harris, who had 42.
[email protected]