#17 Ducks Blank #1 Huskies, 4-0, in Historic Fashion

Saturday, April 17

Eugene, Ore.

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

30-7, 6-2

Washington

34-4, 6-2

Washington

Oregon

#17 Ducks Blank #1 Huskies, 4-0, in Historic Fashion

04/17/10 | Softball

Box Score

By: GoDucks.com

* A boxscore and play-by-play is located in the LINKS box to the right, and updated season and career statistics are available via the link above.

EUGENE - The No. 17 University of Oregon softball team (30-7, 6-2) not only shutout defending national champion and No. 1 Washington (34-4, 6-2) Saturday afternoon, 4-0, but also did it against last year's national player of the year, pitcher Danielle Lawrie.

The Ducks (30-7, 6-2) moved back into a tie for first place in the Pac-10 with the Huskies (34-4, 6-2) after they banged out seven hits against the UW senior and Canadian Olympian (24-2).

In front of a season-high Howe Field crowd of 815, Duck sophomore starter Samantha Skillingstad (10-4) struck out three, walked two, and allowed four hits in her five innings.

Freshman Jessica Moore pitched the final two innings and picked up her Pac-10 leading fourth save after she struck out three, walked one, and allowed no hits.

"This was another big step for us," Oregon head coach Mike White said."Neena got us going with a big hit, and the team really executed the game plan. We played great defense today and wanted to make them earn their runs."

Lawrie cruised through the Duck lineup early and struck out five of the first six batters she faced.

In the fourth inning, however, senior centerfielder Neena Bryant made the most of UO's first hit of the game and drove an 0-1 pitch over the left field fence. The fourth homer of the season for the Placentia, Calif., native also raised her career tally to 32 - fourth-best all-time for UO.

Lawrie settled down to retire three of the next four batters in the fourth and fifth innings via strikeouts, but the Ducks struck again in the sixth inning.

The opening two hitters - junior third baseman Cortney Kivett and freshman left fielder Allie Burger - reached via infield hits. Bryant added a textbook sacrifice bunt, and reached safely on a fielder's choice to load the bases with no outs.

Freshman right fielder Samantha Pappas followed and dueled Lawrie in a nine pitch at-bat before she lined a 2-RBI single through the right side. Two batters later, sophomore shortstop Kelsey Chambers added the final run with a single to left field that scored Pappas from third.

The Pac-10's leading hitter entering the weekend, Pappas ended the game 2-for-3 for her team-leading 17th multi-hit game of the season. The Las Flores, Calif., native and recent Pac-10 Player of the Week is now hitting .465 this season and also paces UO in hits (53), home runs (11), RBI (42), slugging (.825), walks (15) and total bases (94).

Five other Ducks banged out single hits Saturday - Burger (1-for-3), Bryant (1-for-2, 1 RBI), Kelsey Chambers (1-for-3, 1 RBI), freshman second baseman Kaylan Howard (1-for-2) and Cortney Kivett (1-for-2).

Altogether in her 24th complete game, Lawrie struck out nine, walked none, and all four of her runs allowed were earned. Last year's most outstanding player of the Women's College World Series lost only her second start this season, the first coming two weeks ago in a 1-0 decision to then-No. 5 UCLA.

UW's best chance to score came in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, Skillingstad gave up a single up the middle to Lawrie, then walked Shawna Wright who had clubbed a three-run homer Friday night. The next batter, Hooch Fagaly, singled to left field, and Lawrie's pinch runner - Maggie Wagner - appeared ready to score from second base.

However, as Wagner rounded third, Washington head coach Heather Tarr put up the hold sign and was so close to the runner that the two actually contacted each other, so the third base umpire called the runner out for the obstruction. Skillingstad got the next hitter out on a fly to left field to end the inning.

In the fifth, Skillingstad hit the first batter and the next hitter lined a sacrifice bunt attempt to Kivett who charged from third and threw to first base for the double play (since the baserunner went with the pitch). The next batter, leadoff hitter Kimi Pohlman, doubled to left field but was stranded on a fly-out to center field.

At game's end, four Washington hitters ended with one hit each - Pohlman (1-for-3), Lawrie (1-for-2, walk), Fagaly (1-for-3) and Amanda Fleischman (1-for-3).

UO's last win versus a top-ranked team came in 2004 when the Ducks blanked eight-time national champion Arizona, 1-0, at Howe Field. White served as an assistant coach on that squad, and his pitching pupil Ani Nyhus staked the win, and Ashley Richards drilled a home run.

Looking ahead, the two teams return for a final game on Sunday at noon at Howe Field.

Sunday's contest is 'Pink Out Howe' Day in recognition of breast cancer awareness month. Fans that show their Bi-Mart card at the ticket window at the game can receive admission for two adults and two children for only $10.

LINESCORE

Oregon 4, Washington 0 (Apr 17, 2010 at Eugene, Ore.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Washington.......... 000 000 0 - 0 4 0 (34-4, 6-2 Pac-10)
Oregon.............. 000 103 0 - 4 7 0 (30-7, 6-2 Pac-10)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Washington - Lawrie, Danielle and Wright,Shawna. Oregon - Skillingstad, Sam; Moore, Jessica(6) and Vitek, Kaitlin. Win-Skillingstad, Sam(10-4) Save-Moore, Jessica(4) Loss-Lawrie, Danielle(24-2) T-1:47 A-815. HR ORE - Bryant, Neena (4). Weather: 58, partly cloudy, wind 0-3mph