From one three-day tournament to another, the Oregon softball team travels east to face stiff competition in preparation for the Pacific-10 Conference.
The No. 18 Ducks (4-1) begin the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas today at 3:45 p.m. against Utah State (1-5).
“We all know what we are getting ourselves into, so it’s not a big surprise,” Oregon pitcher Amy Harris said of the travel schedule. “The first weekend your body isn’t really used to it, so it takes a little bit to adjust. You don’t really get tired of it because that’s what you’ve worked so hard for … the more games the better.”
Oregon coach Kathy Arendsen predicts that the second game today, against No. 4 Tennessee (3-0) at 6 p.m., will be the highlight of the tournament.
“They are very, very good,” Arendsen said of Tennessee. “They finished third in the country last year at the College World Series, a team that is pretty much intact from that experience. I think it is similar to playing a good Pac-10 team. It’s early, so it will be a great test for us.”
The Volunteers lost to eventual-winner Michigan 3-2 last year in a game that determined who would advance to the Women’s College World Series championship series. Tennessee finished last season with an NCAA-record 67 wins.
“We know they are a very respectable team,” Harris said. “But at this point everyone is. You can’t look past anyone and you can’t be defeated before you get on the field either.”
Oregon plays Hawaii (4-2) and Colorado State (3-3) Saturday before wrapping up the tournament Sunday against UTEP (0-2), the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Ducks are coming off a resilient weekend, Arendsen said.
“We showed great resilience,” Arendsen said. “We had to really battle for our games. I’m pretty excited. I’m hoping that that’s going to be a trait this team has all year long that, I believe, is going to give us a very successful season.”
Oregon defeated then No. 19 Florida twice by a combined score 12-6. Despite Breanne Sabol hitting two home runs and Oregon scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to steal a 5-4 victory in the first game, Arendsen felt the second game against Florida was played the best.
“I thought Amy was dominant. I thought our offense really performed well,” Arendsen said. “Florida was ranked higher than us, and we beat them twice, so I thought that was a good step.”
The Ducks broke a scoreless game in the fifth inning with four runs, which the Gators were unable to overcome.
Sabol continued her hot hitting going 3 for 5 with two RBIs and one run scored, while Joanna Gail hit a solo home run for the Ducks. Harris pitched a complete-game, allowing one earned run with six strikeouts.
Freshman pitcher Elise Orange earned her first collegiate victory as Oregon routed Texas A&M Corpus Christi 8-0 next.
The Ducks only loss came against Houston, which recorded a 3-0 shutout in a game that was postponed two days because of the weather. Oregon finished with a 3-1 win over Kansas, which Harris feels was her best outing of the weekend.
“I felt a lot more like myself,” said Harris, who is 3-0 after the weekend. “The placement of the pitches – kind of setting hitters up – and some pitches worked a little better for me that game.”
Harris pitched another complete game, allowing only one earned run on three hits with seven strikeouts.
Oregon confronts No. 4 Tennessee in Desert Classic
Daily Emerald
February 16, 2006
Breanne Sabol leads Oregon with a .444 batting average, eight hits, two home runs and five RBIs after the first weekend of the softball season. The Ducks begin the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic today at 3
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