Portland State began Wednesday’s game at Oregon with back-to-back singles. Yet Oregon starting pitcher Alicia Cook rallied to escape the inning without surrendering a run, and only one other Viking reached base the rest of the game as the Ducks worked toward a 2-0 victory.
Laura Segall started the game with an infield single followed by Lacey Gorman’s bloop single that dropped inches in front of Oregon left fielder Lovena Chaput’s outstretched glove.
“I don’t think that they were really good hits,” Cook said. “I just started putting the ball further off the plate.”
Jackie Heide, who lit up the Ducks (19-13 overall, 1-3 Pacific-10 Conference) with four RBIs on a 4-for-4 performance earlier in the season, was due up next. Cook struck Heide out. After a fielder’s choice at second base by Kimi Daniel that left runners at the corners, Katie Stokes ended the inning with a fly out.
“I thought Cook got stronger as the game went on,” Oregon coach Kathy Arendsen said. “Defense played well, pitchers were there, we hit; that sounds like a great combo to me.”
The only other batter from Portland State (23-12, 4-0 Pacific Coast Conference) to reach base was Daniel, who was plunked in the head with one out in the fourth inning.
However, Stokes lined out in the next at-bat to Oregon second baseman Suzie Barnes, who was able to fire the ball to first base to double off Daniel, ending the inning.
Prior to that inning, Oregon scored its two runs during the bottom of the third inning. Ann Marie Topps started the inning with a full-count walk and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice by Courtney Shlee. Kristi Leiter singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Barnes hit the ball directly to the shortstop, but Topps was able to touch the plate before she was tagged and scored the Ducks’ first run. Sari-Jane Jenkins singled in the next at-bat to load the bases before Breanne Sabol smoked a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Leiter to score. Barnes and Jenkins advanced, but Chaput struck out to end the inning.
Oregon pitcher Amy Harris, who has been out of competition with an injury to her pitching shoulder, returned to pitch perfect sixth and seventh innings.
“It was good to come back,” Harris said. “I had some adrenaline. I missed a few spots, but this is what I needed, just a couple of innings. The big thing is that (my shoulder) doesn’t hurt. That’s my main concern.”
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