It was an early Monday morning for the 25th-ranked Oregon softball team, but as they say, the early bird gets the worm. Most of the Ducks flew into Eugene in the wee hours of the morning just in time to come out and sweep a doubleheader against Santa Clara at Howe Field.
The Ducks (25-13 overall, 3-4 Pacific-10 Conference), who recently lost back-to-back games to No. 2 Arizona on Saturday and Sunday and defeated No. 18 Arizona State on Friday, took four different flights to get back home to play the doubleheader against the Broncos, with the first leaving at 6:40 a.m.
Freshman pitcher Alicia Cook said it was a late night for the Ducks getting back from their game against the Wildcats on Sunday night.
“We didn’t get to the hotel till
12 (a.m.) and then we had to leave again at 4 (a.m.), so we didn’t get a lot of sleep,” Cook said. “But the team really pulled together today and helped each other to get through it.”
In the first game of the doubleheader, Oregon relied on the arm of Cook and the bats of T.J. Eadus and Breanne Sabol to defeat Santa Clara, 5-0.
Cook (7-4) went the distance, as she struck out nine, walked none and gave up four hits.
“I felt good today,” the Elmira, Ore. native said. “My pitches were moving better, and it just felt good.”
The Oregon offense started off slow against Santa Clara pitcher Liz Courter but got things going in the bottom of the fourth inning when Kristi Leiter drove a double into the left-center-field gap to start the inning. Right fielder Dani Baird doubled next, but Leiter had to hold up on third base. Eadus then drilled a line-drive single to right, letting Leiter score and giving the Ducks a 1-0 lead.
Oregon scored three more the next inning, capped off by another RBI single for Eadus. The freshman went 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
Sabol drove in the final run of the game in the fifth inning with a single.
The Ducks got another great pitching performance in game two, this time from senior Lindsey Kontra, to once again defeat the Broncos, 5-0.
Kontra baffled Santa Clara hitters all game with her change up, giving up six hits and no runs with four strikeouts.
Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen said she was really pleased with her pitchers Monday.
“Both Lindsey and Alicia stepped up for us on a day where it would be easy to not hit spots and not be focused, but they were.” the third-year coach said. “They made big pitches when they needed them.”
The Ducks got going in the bottom of the third inning when Erin Goodell lined a triple over the center fielder’s head and Lovena Chaput hit a sacrifice fly to give Oregon a 1-0 lead.
Hot-hitting Sabol was up next and smashed an RBI double to give the Ducks a 2-0 advantage. Sabol, who moved up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup, went 4 for 7 with four RBIs, two stolen bases and a run scored in the doubleheader.
Sabol is now hitting .345 on the season, good for first on the team, and said her success is just a matter of getting good pitches to hit.
“I just feel like I’m seeing the ball better,” the shortstop said. “I’m picking up better pitches, and I’m not swinging at balls.”
Arendsen said the offense that Sabol has provided for the team has just added to how valuable she is to the team.
“Bre is such a great defender that we don’t put a lot of pressure on her offensively and ask her ‘What can you do for us?’” Arendsen said. “She is our best bunter and now she is really throwing her hands and getting the ball in play.
“She is a talented, talented player and there is nobody she can’t hit,” Arendsen said.
To cap Oregon’s scoring for the day, right fielder Kayleen Hudson drove a ball over the right-center-field wall for a home run to give the Ducks a 5-0 lead.
Next up for the Ducks is a weekend series at Howe Field against No. 3 Cal on Friday at 4 p.m. and No. 6 Stanford on Saturday and Sunday, both
at 1 p.m.
“This gives us some momentum going into a very difficult Pac-10
series at home,” Arendsen said. “Cal is number three and Stanford is in the top 10, but they have to come to Howe where we like to play.
“Hopefully we have built some confidence back.”
