University of Oregon
33-6, 8-2
Arizona State
33-6, 7-3
Ducks Take Game One at ASU 5-0
04/13/18 | Softball
How it Happened: The Ducks went quietly in order in the first inning with a trio of pop-outs. The Sun Devils threatened after managing a couple hits to get runners on the corners, but a nice play by DJ Sanders and a pair of strikeouts by Kleist ended the threat. Oregon had a chance in the second after Iakopo drew the walk, but a two-out line drive turned into an out after a nice grab from the Sun Devils. Kleist added two more strikeouts in the second to keep the Sun Devils off the board.
Oregon had another chance to score in the top of the third after Sanders drew a walk. Sanders advanced after Lilley reached on an error, but was then tagged out after a fielder's choice by Alexis Mack. Shannon Rhodes lined out and the Ducks left two on base. Kleist kicked off the bottom of the third with another strikeout, and the Sun Devils were again sat down in order after Iakopo made a backhanded catch at first and a grounder to Lilley ended the inning.
In the fourth, Iakopo sent a single through the gap in left but was stranded after a pop-out ended the inning. ASU attempted to lay down a bunt but Svekis fired to Lindvall for the out at first base. ASU did manage a single but Lilley, Lindvall, and Iakopo turned a double play to erase the threat.
The Ducks struck first in the fifth inning and took a 2-0 lead. Sanders sent a one-out double to the wall, and Mack squared to bunt and reached on a throwing error, allowing Sanders to score. Rhodes then sent a two-out single to left field and scored Mack, but was tagged out at second base to end the inning. The Sun Devils went down in order in the fifth and Kleist notched two more strikeouts.
Gwen Svekis advanced all the way to third after an ASU fielding error opened the sixth inning. Iakopo stepped to the plate and immediately crushed a homer over the center field fence to give the Ducks some insurance and a 4-0 lead. Haley Cruse singled, but was caught stealing and a pair of flyouts ended the inning.
Kleist set the Devils down in order for a third time in the bottom of the sixth with two strikeouts and a grounder to end the inning.
In the seventh, Jenna Lilley added a final run on a solo home run. Kleist shut down the Sun Devils and the Ducks took game one of the series 5-0.
At the plate: Iakopo led the Ducks and went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs. Rhodes also had a RBI and Lilley belted her fourth homer of the year. Iakopo's home run was her fifth this season and the freshman is hitting a team-high .370 in 10 Pac-12 games this season, with seven of those games against top-10 teams.
In the Circle: Kleist tossed a shutout to earn the win and is now 12-4 on the season. She notched 10 strikeouts and allowed just three hits with no walks. Kleist now owns a 0.81 ERA with 144 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 111.2 innings this season. Oregon's team ERA is down to 1.00 this year.
Quotable: Mike White, Head Coach
On tonight's victory…
"There were some big turning points.They got runners on the corners. Kleist pitched out of it. She wasn't at her best in the first two innings but as the game went on she got stronger, and that's what we're there to do. She found a way to win tonight and shut out the No. 7 team in the country."
Up Next: Oregon and ASU will face each other tomorrow for game two of the series at 6 p.m. PT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kleist, Megan (13-4)
L: Juarez, G (17-2)
Batting:
2B: Sanders, DJ 1
HR: Lilley, Jenna 1 ; Iakopo, Mary 1
RBI: Lilley, Jenna 1 ; Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Iakopo, Mary 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Lilley, Jenna 1 ; Mack, Alexis 1 ; Svekis, Gwen 1 ; Iakopo, Mary 1 ; Sanders, DJ 1
CS: Cruse, Haley 1
