Friday, May 11
Berkeley, CA
3:00 PM
University of Oregon
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California
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Oregon
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Photo by: Peter Fukumae
Ducks Clinch Share of Pac-12 Title
05/11/18 | Softball
BERKELEY, Calif. – DJ Sanders and Gwen Svekis each homered and the No. 2 ranked Ducks clinched a share of the Pac-12 title with an 8-3 win over No. 24 California on Friday.
The Ducks (46-7, 20-3 Pac-12) can win an outright Pac-12 championship for the fifth time in six years with a win tomorrow in the regular season finale or a UCLA loss either tonight or tomorrow vs. Arizona State. Oregon won four straight Pac-12 titles from 2013-16 before finishing a half-game back of Arizona for the league championship last year.
"It's cool knowing three of my four years I was a Pac-12 champion," Svekis said. "But we still have business to take care of. We have one more game to clinch it (outright) and then we can celebrate a little bit more. It's awesome knowing we have a part of it, but we'd rather have it all."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Ducks stranded four runners over the first three innings and Cal made Oregon pay in the fourth. After Lindsay Rood doubled to start the inning, Cal's first hit of the game, the speedster moved to third on a grounder and scored on a wild pitch.
The Ducks wasted little time in tying up the game. In the next inning, with two outs, Alexis Mack singled to score Cruse and make it a 1-1 game. After DJ Sanders singled to put two runners on base with two outs, Gwen Svekis crushed a mammoth three-run homer to left center to give Oregon a 4-1 lead.
Cal chipped into the lead in the bottom of the fifth. The Golden Bears scored on a fielder's choice grounder and a single but, with the bases loaded, Megan Kleist got a grounder and a strikeout to end the inning and keep the Ducks in front.
The Ducks broke the game open in the sixth inning for the second straight day. After scoring seven runs in a big sixth inning in Thursday's series opener, the Ducks struck for four runs in the sixth on Friday. Mia Camuso started the sixth with a double to right center and the sophomore came home to score after a stolen base and a throwing error. After a pair of outs, a Cruse walk and a Mack single, Sanders stepped to the plate. The senior sent a moon shoot deep to left for a three-run home run and Oregon owned an 8-3 lead. Sanders also hit a three-run shot in the sixth inning yesterday.
Kleist sat the Bears down in order in the sixth and seventh to earn the win.
IN THE CIRCLE: Kleist (20-5) did not allow a hit through the first three innings before Cal doubled and scored in the fourth. The junior tossed her 17th complete game of the season with three runs allowed (two earned) on three hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Kleist has an incredible 200 strikeouts this season compared to just 16 walks.
AT THE PLATE: The Ducks belted out 11 hits in the 8-3 win, with Mack, Sanders and Cruse each posting two hits. Sanders is 4-for-7 so far in the series with four runs scored, six RBIs and two homers. The Ducks scored seven of their eight runs with two outs.
UP NEXT: The Ducks and Golden Bears close out the series and the regular season at noon on Saturday.
The Ducks (46-7, 20-3 Pac-12) can win an outright Pac-12 championship for the fifth time in six years with a win tomorrow in the regular season finale or a UCLA loss either tonight or tomorrow vs. Arizona State. Oregon won four straight Pac-12 titles from 2013-16 before finishing a half-game back of Arizona for the league championship last year.
"It's cool knowing three of my four years I was a Pac-12 champion," Svekis said. "But we still have business to take care of. We have one more game to clinch it (outright) and then we can celebrate a little bit more. It's awesome knowing we have a part of it, but we'd rather have it all."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Ducks stranded four runners over the first three innings and Cal made Oregon pay in the fourth. After Lindsay Rood doubled to start the inning, Cal's first hit of the game, the speedster moved to third on a grounder and scored on a wild pitch.
The Ducks wasted little time in tying up the game. In the next inning, with two outs, Alexis Mack singled to score Cruse and make it a 1-1 game. After DJ Sanders singled to put two runners on base with two outs, Gwen Svekis crushed a mammoth three-run homer to left center to give Oregon a 4-1 lead.
Cal chipped into the lead in the bottom of the fifth. The Golden Bears scored on a fielder's choice grounder and a single but, with the bases loaded, Megan Kleist got a grounder and a strikeout to end the inning and keep the Ducks in front.
The Ducks broke the game open in the sixth inning for the second straight day. After scoring seven runs in a big sixth inning in Thursday's series opener, the Ducks struck for four runs in the sixth on Friday. Mia Camuso started the sixth with a double to right center and the sophomore came home to score after a stolen base and a throwing error. After a pair of outs, a Cruse walk and a Mack single, Sanders stepped to the plate. The senior sent a moon shoot deep to left for a three-run home run and Oregon owned an 8-3 lead. Sanders also hit a three-run shot in the sixth inning yesterday.
Kleist sat the Bears down in order in the sixth and seventh to earn the win.
IN THE CIRCLE: Kleist (20-5) did not allow a hit through the first three innings before Cal doubled and scored in the fourth. The junior tossed her 17th complete game of the season with three runs allowed (two earned) on three hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Kleist has an incredible 200 strikeouts this season compared to just 16 walks.
AT THE PLATE: The Ducks belted out 11 hits in the 8-3 win, with Mack, Sanders and Cruse each posting two hits. Sanders is 4-for-7 so far in the series with four runs scored, six RBIs and two homers. The Ducks scored seven of their eight runs with two outs.
UP NEXT: The Ducks and Golden Bears close out the series and the regular season at noon on Saturday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kleist, Megan (20-5)
L: Zoe Conley (16-12)
Batting:
2B: Lilley, Jenna 1 ; Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Camuso, Mia 1 ; Cruse, Haley 1
HR: Sanders, DJ 1 ; Svekis, Gwen 1
RBI: Mack, Alexis 1 ; Sanders, DJ 3 ; Svekis, Gwen 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Mack, Alexis 2 ; Sanders, DJ 2 ; Svekis, Gwen 1 ; Camuso, Mia 1 ; Cruse, Haley 2
SB: Camuso, Mia 1
CS: Cruse, Haley 1
Batting:
2B: Lindsay Rood 1
RBI: Karlee Sparacino 1 ; Lauren Espalin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lindsay Rood 1 ; Krysten McCue 1 ; Taurie Pogue 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
C
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