University of Oregon
7-1
Florida International
0-9
Ducks Extend Streak to Eight Games with Pair of Saturday Wins
02/18/07 | Softball
LAS VEGAS ? Oregon's softball team pushed across decisive runs with two outs on both occasions to notch a pair of victories Saturday in the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic at SLC Park in Las Vegas.
Senior designated hitter Ann Marie Topps launched her fourth home run of the year over the left-field fence to cap a four-run fifth inning and provide the Ducks with a 13-4 win over Florida International. A pair of bases loaded walks with two outs in the sixth supplied the margin for Oregon's 2-0 triumph over Cal State Fullerton in the evening's second game.
The two wins improved Oregon's record to 8-1, with Elmira junior Alicia Cook tossing a six-hit shut out against CS Fullerton to help extend the Ducks' winning streak to eight games and improve her own mark to 4-1.
Neither team could advance a runner past second base through the first five innings of the second game, with the Titan's Candice Baker accumulating 10 of her 13 strikeouts while allowing only one walk and three hits through that stretch. But a pair of singles by Jennifer Salling and Lovena Chaput, followed by a walk to Topps in the top of the sixth, loaded the bases as Oregon threatened to be the first team on the scoreboard. Kristi Leiter then was called out on strikes before Joanna Gail and Amie Morris worked their way for bases on balls and pushed across the winning runs.
Cook then had to work her way out of a sixth-inning jam of her own as CS Fullerton (4-5) benefited from its first two batters getting base hits before being sacrificed to third and second base, respectively, with only one out. But Cook, who struck out three hitters and walked two, got Jenna Wheeler to swing at a third strike and forced Ashley Van Boxmeer to lift a pop-up to Suzie Barnes at second base to end the threat.
Oregon's Chaput produced three of its six hits and scored once after scoring two runs and driving in one against Florida International.
The Ducks benefited from five Panthers errors and nine unearned runs to hand Florida International its ninth setback of the year in as many decisions.
Sophomore pitcher Melissa Rice struggled in the early going despite improving her record to 4-0, giving up four of her six hits in the opening frame. Yet she came away from it allowing only one run.
Oregon made the most of its six hits, scoring two runs each in the first two innings, three runs in the third and two more in the fourth before erupting for four runs in the fifth frame to put a premature end to the contest by way of the eight-run rule.
Rice finished the outing striking out two and walking one as she retired the last eight batters she faced.
The Ducks cap their Las Vegas tournament run against Utah at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rice, Melissa (4-0)
L: Eastman, P. (0-5)
Batting:
HR: Embry, T. 1
RBI: Fink, D. 1 ; Embry, T. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Murray, D. 2 ; Fink, D. 1 ; Embry, T. 1
SB: Murray, D. 2 ; Fink, D. 1
Batting:
2B: Salling, Jenn 1
HR: Topps, Ann Marie 1
RBI: Barnes, Suzie 1 ; Jenkins, Sari-Jane 1 ; Salling, Jenn 1 ; Bryant, Neena 1 ; Chaput, Lovena 1 ; Topps, Ann Marie 3 ; Gail, Joanna 1
SH: Salling, Jenn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Barnes, Suzie 1 ; Jenkins, Sari-Jane 3 ; Salling, Jenn 1 ; Bryant, Neena 1 ; Chaput, Lovena 2 ; Topps, Ann Marie 2 ; Leiter, Kristi 1 ; Gail, Joanna 2
SB: Jenkins, Sari-Jane 1 ; Topps, Ann Marie 1
