After winning the season series with the Oregon State Beavers for the first time in two seasons following a 6-5 victory in Corvallis on Wednesday, the 17th-ranked Oregon softball team has more redemption on its mind this weekend.
Oregon (39-11, 4-8 Pac-10) first takes on No. 12 UCLA today and then travels for two games on Saturday and Sunday against No. 13 Washington in Seattle.
The Huskies defeated Oregon 7-2 at Howe Field on April 13 and the Bruins took two from the Ducks that same weekend, winning 13-3 and then 5-1.
That weekend started the Ducks’ six-game conference losing skid that Oregon broke Wednesday in impressive fashion against the Beavers. The Ducks, who managed just eight total hits and four total runs in three games last weekend, managed 15 hits and six runs against Oregon State on Wednesday, all of that coming against the Beavers’ ace Brianne McGowan.
“Our bats are back. That was our concern last weekend,” Oregon coach Kathy Arendsen said. “So we hope now we parlay this good feeling.”
To do that, Oregon will have to get through some more tough pitching. UCLA will likely send junior right-hander Anjelica Selden to the circle. She is 16-7 on the season with a 2.36 ERA. She pitched the first game against Oregon, working all seven innings and giving up three hits and three earned runs while striking out nine.
The Ducks will likely face sophomore right-hander Danielle Lawrie of Washington on Saturday. Lawrie, the close friend of Oregon’s Jenn Salling, struck out 15 Oregon batters to pick up the victory in the team’s first meeting. She is 18-7 on the season with a 1.55 ERA and 296 strikeouts.
Oregon will be without its ace in junior Alicia Cook who continues to suffer from an illness that kept her out of six games earlier in the season. In her place, sophomore Melissa Rice (21-9) will carry the load. She’s pitched Oregon’s last six games.
– Luke Andrews