Oregon saved its breakthrough performance for the final day of its four-game homestand.
The Ducks, relying on a home run from Neena Bryant, survived a bases-loaded situation in the seventh inning to beat Arizona, 3-2, at Howe Field on Sunday.
Friday could have been that big game.
The day the Oregon softball team broke out of their doldrums and gained a momentum-building win in the highly competitive Pacific-10 Conference.
Scratch that.
Buoyed by Blair Williamson’s resurgence at the plate, Oregon (26-16, 1-5 Pac-10) made it interesting but ultimately lost, 3-2, to No. 1 Arizona State.
“Arizona State’s an awesome team, No. 1 in the nation, that’s big,” outfielder Sari-Jane Jenkins said. “But we had every opportunity (Friday) to take advantage of the game.”
Oregon’s five-game Pac-10 losing streak ended with the Ducks’ win Sunday over the Wildcats.
Williamson, who entered the weekend batting .176, hit near identical pitches Friday into right field for a pair of doubles.
Arizona State put across a run apiece in the third and fourth innings, setting up Oregon’s rally in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Ashley Kivett opened the inning with a double to left center field. Williamson followed with her second double of the day.
Arizona State’s relay from right field went into the Oregon dugout, and with Williamson nearing third, it initially looked like she’d be able to go home. But umpires conferred and left her at third.
“I was hoping to go home, but the rule book doesn’t kind of allow you sometimes,” a laughing Williamson said.
Oregon followed with successful bunt singles by Cortney Kivett and Jenkins, the latter bringing Williamson home and knotting the score at two.
But on this afternoon, a mistake on the mound cost Oregon when Kaitlin Cochran crushed an offering from pitcher Melissa Rice over the left field fence.
On the opposite mound, Katie Burkhart threw 11 strikeouts in seven innings of five-hit ball.
“She’s a very good pitcher and I just wanted to put the bat on ball and things worked out for me,” the soft-spoken Williamson said.
Mowatt mows them down
The Oregon bats found few opportunities faced with Arizona’s Taryne Mowatt starting Saturday afternoon and ended up falling 5-1.
An initial rain delay pushed the start of the game back at least 40 minutes, but when it started, Mowatt threw a no-hitter through five innings, until a Williamson single gave the Ducks their only hit of the contest.
Oregon did have its opportunities, if few.
The Ducks loaded the bases in the second inning on a pair of walks and an error by the first baseman. A foul out by Williamson and strikeout by Cortney Kivett ended the inning.
Other than that, Mowatt was dominant in a complete-game one-hitter. She threw 12 strikeouts.
“I definitely like coming here to pitch,” Mowatt said. “Out of all the rival Pac-10 schools, I think they have the best mound here. That doesn’t hurt.”
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