Softball Opens Pac-10 Play At Home With Washington And UCLA
RECAPPING LAST WEEK
Oregon improved its home record to 6-1 by sweeping visiting Nevada and BYU. Senior pitcher Lindsey Kontra picked up two wins as did junior starter Amy Harris. Harris had 18 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched while the Duck offense also took flight. Oregon hit five home runs over the weekend and had 31 hits while committing just one error. The Ducks outscored their opponents 18-2 and 10 different players recorded at least one hit over the weekend.
LOVENA CHAPUT - CO-PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Oregon freshman Lovena Chaput was named co-Pac-10 player of the week along with Arizona’s Caitlin Lowe for the week of Mar. 21-28. Chaput was 6-for-13 (.462) with two walks, three RBI, two runs scored and a home run. It is the first honor for an Oregon player this season and the seventh overall under Coach Arendsen.
CONFERENCE OPENERS UNDER COACH ARENDSEN
The Ducks are 2-0 in the conference opening games under third-year head coach Kathy Arendsen. The Ducks defeated Oregon State at Howe Field 9-8 last season to begin the Pac-10 1-0. Oregon rallied from an 8-3 deficit, scoring six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win. In 2003, Oregon had 13 hits, including two home runs by second baseman Erin Goodell to defeat the Beavers 10-2 and open conference play 1-0 for the first time since 1998.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Washington: Washington (16-9) last played March 19, falling 8-3 to then-No. 21 Fresno State. Offensively, Ashley Charters and Kristen Rivera lead the team, hitting .455 and .439, respectively. Rivera has hit 10 home runs and has been walked 31 times. The Huskies are second in the conference in slugging percentage (.510) and lead the league in on base percentage (.408). Defensively, pitchers Ashley Boek and Caitlin Noble share duties and have a combined 2.12 ERA. Noble has 131 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched while Boek has 97 strikeouts in 85.1 innings pitched.
UCLA: Defending national champion UCLA replaced All-American pitcher Keira Goerl with freshman Anjelica Selden, who leads the conference with a 0.19 ERA. Selden already has 202 striekouts, which is second in the Pac-10 to senior Alicia Hollowell (Arizona). Selden carries the load, boasting a 10-3 record in 109.2 innings pitched. Offensively, catcher Emily Zaplatosch leads the Bruins with a .338 average.
THE SERIES VS. WASHINGTON: Oregon has won the series off the Huskies in back to back seasons under head coach Kathy Arendsen. It is the first time in school history that Oregon has taken the series in consecutive seasons. However, Washington defeated the Ducks 6-0 at the Hawaii Paradise Classic earlier this season and owns a 31-11 edge in the all-time series. Under Arendsen, the Ducks are 1-2 vs. Washington at Howe Field, defeating the Huskies 10-2 last season, but falling 1-0 the following day. In 2003, Oregon lost 9-0 in five innings at home.
THE SERIES VS. UCLA: Oregon has defeated UCLA just nine times in school history as the Bruins hold a dominating 55-9 overall advantage. Oregon has, however, defeated UCLA twice in the past two seasons under Coach Arendsen. Last season, the Ducks defeated the then-No. 3 Bruins 4-3 in Los Angeles and lost the other two games, 2-3 and 0-2. In 2003, the Ducks defeated UCLA 5-4 at Howe Field, marking the first time since 1998 that Oregon had defeated the Bruins at Howe Field.
CHANGE IT UP
Senior pitcher Lindsey Kontra has already thrown more innings this season (32.2) than she did in all of 2004 (26.1) and is making the most of each opportunity. Kontra has allowed just one run in her last 20 innings pitched and her 8-0 shutout over BYU Mar. 26 was just her second career shutout.
HARRIS CARRYING THE LOAD
Junior pitcher Amy Harris has allowed just two runs in her last 43.2 innings pitched...during that stretch, Harris has 56 strikeouts...With another impressive weekend, Harris surpassed standout Sue Voeller on the all-time strikeout list, moving to third all-time with 369 strikeouts...Harris also moved into a tie for eighth all-time with 32 career wins.
MORE PITCHING
The Ducks are currently riding a seven-game win streak in part because of strong pitching by the Duck rotation. Oregon has won four of those games by shutout and are outscoring opponents 26-3 during the win streak.
BARNES: ALL AROUND LEADER
Sophomore Suzie Barnes isn’t just a leader off the field...the center fielder currently leads the team in the following categories (min. 10 At bats): Slugging percentage (.616), Runs scored (16), RBI (13), Total Bases (45), triples (2) and starts (29)...Barnes is the only player to have started all 25 games this season...The Lake Forest, Park native is currently riding a seven game hit streak....On Feb. 20 vs. Portland State, Barnes scored the winning run in the first game of the doubleheader...in the second game, Barnes hit a triple and a home run...On Mar. 9, Barnes hit the game-winning RBI in sixth inning against the Vikings to lead the Ducks to a 2-1 win.
