The 15th-ranked Ducks are off to their best Pacific-10 Conference start since the 1989 season, the only season since Oregon left the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women that the team has made the Women’s College World Series.
Oregon (29-9 overall, 3-1 Pac-10) beat No. 3 California, 4-0, Friday and split games with No. 11 Stanford — a 1-0 victory Saturday and a 6-1 loss Sunday. It marks the first time since 2000 that the Ducks went 2-1 in their Bay Area trip.
“I thought we had a nice weekend,” Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen said. “You always want to go home on a win streak, but to take two out of three on the road in the Pac-10 is a tremendous accomplishment.”
Pitcher Ani Nyhus started all three games for the Ducks during the weekend, improving her record to 14-5.
Oregon started the weekend with its first Pac-10 road game of the season against California in Berkeley, where the Ducks had not won since the 2000 season.
Nyhus dominated the No. 3 Golden Bears, scattering four hits in Oregon’s 4-0 victory.
“This is a huge win for our team,” Arendsen said. “To come on the road and be able to get a conference win against a very good team is a tremendous accomplishment. I am extremely pleased with our pitching performance as well as how we hit the ball.”
Oregon put together a walk and two squeeze plays to score its first run in the third. Second baseman Erin Goodell walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a hard-hit single by outfielder Suzie Barnes. Catcher Jenn Poore moved the runners over with a bunt and Goodell scored on a squeeze bunt by shortstop Breanne Sabol.
In the fourth, the Ducks added a run when outfielder Dani Baird scored on an RBI single by Goodell. Designated player Beth Boskovich added a run in the sixth when she scored on a squeeze by Baird.
Oregon’s final run in the game came on a lead-off home run by Poore in the seventh. It was her sixth home run of the season.
The Ducks continued their momentum from Friday’s victory into Saturday’s game against No. 11 Stanford. With Nyhus in the circle again, Oregon earned another conference victory, 1-0.
The junior transfer pitched her second one-hitter of the week, facing the minimum 21 batters for the second time this week. She did both against Portland State on Wednesday.
“I’m just feeling really confident in my pitches and in our defense,” Nyhus said. “We made some key plays today and it’s been great having them behind me. I feel confident in our team and what we can accomplish when we play together.”
The Ducks needed just one run to fend off the Cardinal. First baseman Kristi Leiter hit a home run in the second inning, her second blast of the season.
“We are really hitting our stride at the right time,” Arendsen said. “We come ready to play and very focused on winning. I’m extremely proud of this team for how they come ready to play.”
Sunday, the Ducks broke their five-game winning streak with a 6-1 loss to Stanford. Oregon scored its only run of the game in the seventh when pinch hitter Ann Marie Topps scored on a single by left fielder Julie Jaime.
Nyhus started the game and was relieved in the third inning after giving up three runs. Amy Harris threw two innings, allowing three runs. Lindsey Kontra finished the game for the Ducks, pitching 1 1/3 innings.
Between Wednesday and Saturday, Nyhus pitched three consecutive complete-game shutouts. She has 102 strikeouts this season.
The Ducks return to Oregon this week for two games in Corvallis. Oregon and Oregon State face each other for the final times this season with games at 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday.