The No. 15 Oregon softball team will jump right into the heart of Pacific-10 Conference competition tonight when it takes on No. 6 Washington in Seattle at 6 p.m.
The Ducks (28-4) had a great run throughout the preseason, and will enter the game against last year’s Pac-10 champion with a 12-game winning streak.
Oregon hasn’t taken a series from the Huskies since 2004, but the Ducks have earned at least one win against Washington in six of the last eight years. The highlight win during that stretch came last season when Oregon shut out then-No. 1 Washington at Howe Field in mid-April.
The Ducks were new to the top 25 at that point last year, but have been ranked in the top 20 all of 2011, and will try to build off last season’s defeat of the returning national pitcher of the year, Danielle Lawrie, who has since graduated from Washington.
Senior first baseman Monique Fuiava enters Friday’s contest on a torrid pace offensively with a nine-game hitting streak in place. During last weekend’s Mustang Classic, Fuiava paced the Ducks in batting average (.526), hits (10), slugging (.895) and walks (two).
Washington’s duo of Niki Williams and Taylor Smith will look to challenge Oregon ace Jessica Moore (13-2), who has already hit nine and 10 home runs this season, respectively.
The series will continue on Saturday at 4 p.m. and will wrap up Sunday at noon.
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