No. 11 Arizona scored six runs in the second inning and the Wildcats (31-7, 3-0) gave Oregon its fourth straight loss in the Pacific-10 Conference on Saturday, beating UO 11-3, and rallying to beat Oregon 7-6 Sunday afternoon in Tucson.
Oregon (10-20, 0-4 Pac-10) lost its conference opener to Oregon State 2-1 on March 21 before beating Seattle University in back-to-back games last week.
When Oregon re-entered the Pac-10 schedule against Arizona State on the road on Friday, it was more of the same, losing 8-0 in six innings.
After Oregon junior center fielder Neena Bryant hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to put Oregon ahead 6-4, the Wildcats hit two home runs in the bottom of the seventh to win 7-6.
Arizona’s K’Lee Arredondo hit a two-run home run after Brittany Lastrapes walked and Jenae Leles homered to right center field for a solo shot.
Bryant finished 2-for-4 in the second game with 4 RBIs, and Brittany Rumfelt lost her second straight game to the Wildcats, falling to 1-6 on the season.
This weekend’s trip to the desert ends the Ducks’ time on the road leading into a nine-game homestand that begins Wednesday against Portland State and ends April 19 against UCLA.
Rumfelt (1-6) got the loss in the first game, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing six runs, all unearned, in 13 at-bats, with one strikeout.
The six runs came after Oregon had two outs in the inning. After three runs came in off errors, Arizona’s Lastrapes hit a three-run homer over right-center field.
The Ducks showed signs of life by scoring three runs in the fifth and sixth innings, two coming on junior right fielder Blair Williamson’s first career home run in the sixth, a two-run homer.
The runs were moot after Arizona tacked on five more runs in the fourth. Leles of UA, who finished 2-for-4 with 4 RBI, led off the inning with a solo home run, her second of the game.
Williamson’s 2 RBI led the team, with sophomore first baseman Monique Fuiava adding the other run with her RBI single in the sixth inning that drove in Sari-Jane Jenkins.
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