University of Oregon
16-34, 3-18
Arizona State
40-16, 10-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARIZONA STATE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| OREGON | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Jenkins Homers in Season Finale, ASU Wins 5-1
05/09/09 | Softball
* A boxscore and play-by-play is located in the LINKS box to the right, and updated season statistics are availble via the link above.
EUGENE - On the University of Oregon softball team's Senior Day, it was fitting that senior and team captain Sari-Jane Jenkins hit her sixth homer of the season, made a sliding catch in the outfield and stole her school record 96th base Saturday in the regular season finale, a 5-1 loss to No. 9 Arizona State.
Jenkins lined her sixth homer of the season over the center field fence in the third inning to give UO a 1-0 lead. Her team-leading fourth homer in 21 conference games capped a resurgence in power for the lead-off hitter from Salem, Ore., native who had two round-trippers as a freshman and none as a sophomore and junior.
“Today was a fitting conclusion and I couldn't ask for anything better in a final game,” Jenkins said. “I think we played the best seven innings we could, and we didn't leave anything on the field - I'm proud of that. The last two weeks we really came together and showed a lot of growth. Again today, we had players step up and make big plays.”
Jenkins' 1-for-2 day with a walk capped the career of one of UO's greatest players that included top-10 rankings for UO in hits (second, 230, and third among active Pac-10 players), runs (fourth, 135), doubles (seventh, 33), walks (seventh, 73) and batting average (10th, .324).
Three other Ducks hit safely Saturday - sophomores Monique Fuiava (1-for-2, double) and Cortney Kivett (1-for-3) and freshman Kelsey Chambers (1-for-3).
Fuiava's double was her team-leading eighth of the season ? only two shy of the 10th-best mark in a season for UO. Chambers capped the year with a .500 hitting mark (6-for-12) in her final five games of '09 - all against top-10 foes in Washington, Arizona and ASU the past nine days - and overall she paced Oregon newcomers in '09 in hits (27), homers (5), RBIs (21) and slugging (.408).
On the mound for Oregon (16-34, 3-18), freshman Samantha Skillingstad (12-15) registered her 17th complete game in 28 starts, struck out five, walked five, yielded five hits, and all five of her runs allowed were earned.
The Spokane, Wash., native ended the season with 170 strikeouts - the fourth-highest total in school history, and trailed only the totals of Amy Harris (203, first, 2005; 202, third, '03) and Ani Nyhus (180, second, '04).
For the defending national champion Sun Devils (40-16, 10-11), starter Hillary Bach (24-9) struck out six, walked one, scattered four hits, and allowed an earned run in her six innings of work. Megan Elliott came in and pitched the seventh inning, and had no strikeouts, hits or walks in her inning of work.
ASU scored its first three runs in the fifth inning on a bases-loaded walk to pinch-hitter Ashley Muenz that was followed by an RBI single by leadoff hitter Jessica Mapes that squeaked through the infield, and a sacrifice fly to deep right field by National Player of the Year finalist Kaitlin Cochran.
The Sun Devils added two more runs in the sixth inning on a two-run homer to left field by catcher Renee Welty.
“In the fifth inning Sam lost command, and they were able to take us out of our rhythm,” Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen said. “But we battled back and Sammy pitched her heart out. Our day is coming, I'm proud of everyone of our players, they never quit. This whole year we battled, we never gave up, and it showed up late in our season.”
For the game, ASU combined for four hits overall from right fielder Lesley Rogers (2-for-3, 2 runs), Mapes (1-for-4, 1 RBI) and Welty (1-for-3, 1 run, 2 RBI).
Looking back over UO's 36th season of varsity competition, junior Neena Bryant ended the 50-game slate as the Ducks' leader in batting (.314), hits (49), home runs (8 - tied with Monique Fuiava), slugging (.538), on-base percentage (.345) and stolen bases (27). The latter category ranked sixth all-time for UO, and gave her 64 in her career - fourth-most all-time for Oregon behind Jenkins (first, 96), and former Ducks Kim Manning (second, 72) and Suzie Barnes (third, 71). Bryant also has 28 career home runs thanks to Friday's blast vs. ASU, and now ranks fifth all-time for UO and only nine shy of school record holder and former Duck Andrea Vidlund (37).
On the mound in ?09, Skillingstad paced Oregon in nearly every pitching category in the season-ending stats, including ERA (2.36), wins (12), appearances (37), starts (28), complete games (17), shutouts (4), innings, 178 1/3) and strikeouts (170).
Saturday also marked the final appearance at Howe Field for fellow senior Melissa Rice who closed her career ranked top-10 all-time for UO in career shutouts (sixth, 12), games (seventh, 119), wins (eighth, 41), strikeouts (eighth, 300), complete games (ninth, 37) and innings (ninth, 486.0). A two-time Duck Most Valuable Pitcher of the Year, she posted a career-high 21 wins as a sophomore ? sixth-most in Duck history ? and was also a Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week winner.
Arendsen wrapped up her seventh season at the helm of the Duck program with a school-best 234-176 mark. Her 20-year, 606-451 overall career record includes prior stops at Mississippi State, Yale, Eastern Illinois and Western Connecticut.
Looking ahead, the 64-team NCAA softball tournament field will be announced Sunday night, and more details will be available at the www.NCAAsports.com website.
LINESCORE
ARIZONA STATE 5, OREGON 1 (May 09, 2009 at Eugene, Ore.)
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ARIZONA STATE....... 000 032 0 - 5 4 0 (40-16, 10-11 Pac-10)
OREGON.............. 001 000 0 - 1 4 0 (16-34, 3-18 Pac-10)
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Pitchers: ARIZONA STATE - Hillary Bach; Megan Elliott(7) and Renee Welty. OREGON -
Skillingstad, Sam and Kivett, Ashley.
Win-Hillary Bach(24-9) Loss-Skillingstad, Sam(12-15) T-1:51 A-351
HR ASU - Renee Welty (7).
HR ORE - Jenkins, Sari-Jane (6).
Weather: 66, sunny, wind 2-6 mph
- www.GoDucks.com -
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hillary Bach (24-9)
L: Skillingstad, Samantha (12-15)
Batting:
HR: Renee Welty 1
RBI: Jessica Mapes 1 ; Kaitlin Cochran 1 ; Renee Welty 2
SH: Katelyn Boyd 1
SF: Kaitlin Cochran 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Katelyn Boyd 1 ; Lesley Rogers 2 ; Renee Welty 1 ; Katie Crabb 1
SB: Lesley Rogers 1
Batting:
2B: Fuiava, Monique 1
HR: Jenkins, Sari-Jane 1
RBI: Jenkins, Sari-Jane 1
SH: Fuiava, Monique 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jenkins, Sari-Jane 1
SB: Jenkins, Sari-Jane 1
