The pitching has been there for the Oregon softball team.
Two games into Pacific-10 Conference play, it has become a matter of having the offensive support. Oregon (25-13, 0-2 Pac-10) had its opener at Washington snowed out, so the Ducks traveled south to Los Angeles and suffered consecutive shutouts to UCLA.
Oregon received a quality performance from pitcher Melissa Rice, who pitched a two-hitter in a 2-0 loss. In the next game, Oregon’s bats again were silent in a 12-0 shutout.
Today marks Oregon’s next opportunity to earn its first conference win by hosting the Civil War rivalry game today with Oregon State (22-16, 1-2) at Howe Field.
“The Civil War’s always great,” Oregon coach Kathy Arendsen said.
Freshman catcher Ashley Kivett may be playing in her first Civil War, but she has already gained a sense of the rivalry from other sports, including football and basketball.
“When I wasn’t hearing it about softball, I’ve heard it for all the other sports so it’s definitely going to be fun to finally be a part of that,” she said.
Rice, who enters her third year in the rivalry, says she fully grasps its intensity.
“When I was a freshman I wasn’t really in check with it and so now I actually understand the Washington and Oregon State rivals,” Rice said.
The Civil War scorecard, which tallies the results of Oregon-Oregon State meetings in all sports, has the Ducks in the lead, 7-6, with softball the last sport left to decide the 2007-08 Civil War Champion.
Oregon games this weekend include match-ups with Pac-10 powers Arizona State and Arizona, so it makes the Oregon State contest, against a team in the middle of the Pac-10 standings, that much more significant.
“Huge, huge, huge,” Arendsen of today’s game’s importance. “We’re in the Pac-10. We’re in the toughest conference – without a doubt – in the country.”
Oregon had its Pac-10 opener delayed a day when its trip to Washington was snowed out.
The game will be made up with a doubleheader on Friday, May 9. The Ducks play the first game at 1:30 p.m. and the second at 4 p.m. The next day on Saturday will be senior day in a 1:30 p.m. contest broadcast on Fox Sports Northwest.
Oregon State, long known for powerful pitcher Brianne McGowan, has two new younger pitchers taking the mound for the Beavers. McGowan has graduated, so in her place is Eugene native Kelly Dyer and Stefanie Draper, who used to play for Hood River Valley High School.
Dyer (13-11) is sporting a 2.51 ERA while leading Oregon State in innings pitched with 139.2.
“We know her well and have great respect for her,” Arendsen said. “She’s going to get to play at home.”
Draper (9-5) is close behind with a 3.23 ERA in 110.2 innings pitched.
“Both are solid, young pitchers,” Arendsen said. “They’re young – that’s the key word, just like (pitcher Brittany) Rumfelt’s really young for us.”
The Beavers are powered by a potent offense led by first baseman/outfielder Dani Chisholm, who bats .390, along with six doubles and 20 RBIs.
First baseman DeAnn Young, younger sister of Minnesota Twins outfielder Delmon Young, holds the team lead in RBIs (21) while hitting .286. Oregon State receives its power from utility player Cambria Miranda, who has crushed six home runs to go with a team-high eight doubles and 16 RBIs.
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