The Oregon softball team continues its goal of making the NCAA Tournament with a game today at Howe Field against No. 8 Stanford. Today’s game is the first of three this weekend with No. 22 California coming to Eugene for games on Saturday and Sunday.
Oregon (31-22, 3-11 Pacific-10 Conference) is riding a two-game winning streak following the Ducks’ offensive explosion in an 8-4 defeat of Portland State on Wednesday and a 2-1 win against in-state rival Oregon State on Tuesday.
The five seniors on Oregon are hoping to make a return trip to the postseason after making it last season, only to see their postseason stay end with consecutive losses to South Carolina.
“It’s very important,” shortstop Lovena Chaput said. “I know all of us seniors are really feeling not the pressure but the fact that it’s all about to be over.”
After this weekend, Oregon has four more home games the next weekend to end the regular season.
First up are the Bay Area schools, who the Ducks lost three games to on the road in April by a combined three runs.
“All three of the games were close games,” Chaput said.
Stanford is going to test Oregon’s resurgent bats. Cardinal pitcher Missy Penna held Oregon to a single run and four hits in two starts against the Ducks in April in Palo Alto, Calif.
Cal is coming off a 1-0 win Wednesday over UC Davis. Cal, the sixth place team in the Pac-10, has won two straight games.
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