Civil War Win Streak Extended to 15

Sunday, April 30

Eugene, Ore.

3:00 PM

University of Oregon

41-6, 14-6

Oregon State

24-22, 6-12

Oregon State

Oregon

Shannon Rhodes Home Plate Jube Civil War

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

04/30/17 | Softball

Box Score

Megan Kleist threw a one-hitter and Shannon Rhodes drove in five as Oregon completed a sweep of OSU on Sunday, 7-0.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — Megan Kleist pitched a one-hit shutout and Shannon Rhodes drove in five runs Sunday, as the No. 6 Oregon softball team completed a three-game sweep of Oregon State with a 7-0 victory before a sellout crowd of 2,517 in Jane Sanders Stadium.

The Ducks (41-6, 14-6 Pac-12) have won 15 straight games against rival Oregon State, sweeping five straight series. With the sweep, they kept themselves firmly in the hunt for a top-eight postseason seed, and the right to host the first two weeks of the NCAA Tournament.

"We tried not to overthink it," UO coach Mike White said. "We just tried to play good softball, and we had a lot to play for in terms of the postseason."

HOW IT HAPPENED: Oregon was in control from the outset. After a 1-2-3 first inning from Kleist, the freshman Rhodes blasted a two-out, three-run homer to dead centerfield in the bottom of the inning.

"We're starting to hit the ball hard again, which is really nice," White said. "Shannon Rhodes is really stepping up in that No. 5 position, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of that."

OSU turned to pitcher Nerissa Eason in the third, and she was victimized by several illegal pitch calls. One helped Gwen Svekis reach after appearing to fly out in the third; she eventually scored on an error when Rhodes stole second and the throw was off line.

Another illegal pitch, in the fifth, erased an out by Alexis Mack and instead saw her walk to lead off the inning. With one out, she and Nikki Udria executed a double steal, putting both in position to score on a soft single to short right-center field by Rhodes. That gave the freshman five RBIs on the afternoon.

The Ducks tacked on another run in the sixth, when Jenna Lilley scored from second on an error.

IN THE CIRCLE: Kleist set down the first seven Beavers (24-22, 6-12) before surrendering a one-one single in the third. That and a two-out walk in the sixth were the only blemishes on her ledger, as Oregon State failed even to advance a runner into scoring position on the afternoon.

"I was really just throwing to by spots and trusting my defense," said Kleist, a sophomore who improved to 16-3 this spring. "They really did well; I'm so proud of them."

AT THE PLATE: Rhodes finished 2-for-3 with the five RBIs. Alexis Mack stole two bases and scored twice, and Svekis also scored two runs. Nikki Udria walked in the fifth inning, making Sunday's game the 41st in a row in which she's reached base.

UP NEXT: The Ducks filled a bye in the penultimate week of Pac-12 play by scheduling a nonconference series with No. 2 Florida State. A doubleheader Saturday at Jane Sanders Stadium begins at 4:30 p.m., and game three is scheduled for Sunday at 5 p.m. All three games will be aired on Pac-12 Networks.