The No. 8 Oregon softball team took both games of a nonconference doubleheader against the Portland State Vikings, 10-4 and 1-0, Wednesday evening at Howe Field. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=245&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205415788@@ @@http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/softball/d1@@
The Ducks (31-9) have won five of their last six outings and will take a five-game winning streak into this weekend’s Pac-12 Conference series with top-ranked California. Oregon fell in all three games to Cal in Berkley last season, but also swept the Bears when they visited Eugene in 2010.
After a scoring 10 runs on nine hits in the opener, the Ducks were relatively sluggish in the nightcap and left eight runners on base in the game and 17 total on the night.
“You keep on telling them not to look passed tonight, but in some ways we did,” third-year head coach Mike White said. “We’re human beings, we make mistakes. I think we were looking passed them a little bit and we didn’t play our A game — that’s for sure.”
Freshman right-hander Karissa Hovinga (10-3) picked up both victories for the Ducks, giving up just seven combined hits in 13 innings of work. In the nightcap, she allowed just one extra-base hit, striking out four and walking one. Junior ace Jessica Moore came on in relief in the top of the sixth and struck out five of the final six batters to end the game.
White was particularly pleased with Hovinga’s outing, noting that resting Moore before facing Cal on Friday was a top priority.
“It’s extremely important, you know, if you figure we want to rest Jess as much as we can,” White said. “We don’t want to over work her, especially when we’re in the meat of our season right now. Any rest we can get Jess, it really helps the team.”
In the opener — the team’s 30th  win of the season and third straight season they’ve reach that total — the Ducks jumped out to a 4-1 lead after three innings and used a six-run bottom of the fifth to blow the game open. Junior Kaylan Howard (2 for 3, two RBI), freshman Janie Takeda (2 for 4, two RBI), senior Kelsey Chambers (2 for 4, three RBI) and sophomore Alexa Peterson (2 for 3, two RBI) each recorded multiple hits in the win.
Hovinga scattered five hits over seven innings of work, striking out two and walking two more. One of the four runs she allowed was earned.
Brenner completes trio
Oregon freshman Liz Brenner competed in her third collegiate sport this school year when she started in both of the Ducks’ victories over Portland State on Wednesday evening.
The Jesuit High School standout played for Oregon’s volleyball and basketball teams earlier this year, and became softball eligible for Oregon’s midweek nonconference matchup. Brenner made her first appearance in the opener, starting as the team’s designated player. She was 0 for 2 with two walks and two runs scored.
“I think she did well considering she hasn’t been on a field in probably two years,” White said. “She knows she has some work to do, and Liz is a competitor and she’s not going to want to come out and do a half job. She’s going to want to go out there and do a great job for us.”
The 6-foot-1 Brenner came to the University on a volleyball scholarship in the fall and earned all-Pac-12 freshman team recognition. During the women’s basketball season, she averaged 5.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in the 21 games she appeared in. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4375&SPID=245&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205157914&Q_SEASON=2011@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/wbasketball/2011-12-Stats/HTML/ORE.HTM@@
Ceo out for season
Sophomore third baseman Courtney Ceo suffered a season-ending knee injury in Oregon’s win over Utah last Friday. The Meadow Vista, Calif., native completely ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament with a partial tear in her meniscus. Ceo must wait for the swelling to decrease before undergoing surgery.
A 55-game starter as a true freshman in 2011, Ceo started all 36 games for the Ducks this season prior to the injury, and led the team in hits and was second in runs and stolen bases on the year. @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/softball/stats/2011/HTML/ore.htm@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/softball/stats/2012/HTML/ore.htm@@