Softball Travels To Portland State, Hosts No. 9 Oregon State
RECAPPING LAST WEEK VS. CALIFORNIA, STANFORD
The Ducks scored 17 runs over the weekend, but were plagued by errors dropping all three games to the Bay Area schools. On Friday, Oregon allowed four unearned runs to fall just short of defeating the thrid-ranked Bears. Senior second baseman Erin Goodell had a career-day, driving in four runs and finishing the day 2-for-3 with a double and a triple. On Saturday, Stanford scored 10 runs in the seventh inning to take a commanding 17-2 lead before Oregon scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to make the final 17-7. Junior Beth Boskovich went 2-for-4 with four RBI and a home run. Boskovich finished the entire weekend 4-for-11 (.364) with five RBI, two home runs and a .909 slugging percentage. Sunday’s game started an hour and forty minutes late and was delayed two times because of rain, but the Cardinal eventually secured the win, 9-5, behind four RBI by Michelle Smith. Freshman Lovena Chaput continued her impressive play in conference, going 4-for-10 (.400) with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and a .900 slugging percentage. It is the first time under head coach Kathy Arendsen that Stanford has won the season series.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Portland State: Viking pitcher Michelle Hext as been on a tear lately, throwing shutouts in three of her last four starts. She earned Pacific Coast Softball Conference pitcher of the week honors after throwing a pair of shutouts vs. San Diego. Her conference ERA is 0.18 and overall she is 6-6 this season with 64 strikeouts. Offensively, Rose Rutledges’s .308 average leads the Vikings (13-20, 7-5 PCSC) while Kayla Lewis leads the team with seven home runs and 21 RBI.
Oregon State: The Beavers are atop the Pac-10 despite dropping two of three conference games last weekend. They began league play 7-0 and are currently 29-8 overall, 8-2 Pac-10 behind a stellar season from pitcher Brianne McGowan (25-4). McGowan has a 1.84 ERA with 211 strikeouts. Offensively, Cambria Miranda is hitting .346 with 16 RBI while Adrienne Alo leads the team with 11 home runs and 25 RBI.
THE SERIES VS. PORTLAND STATE: Oregon is 91-56 all-time vs. the Vikings and 10-1 under Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen. On April 20, Portland State defeated the Ducks 6-5 at Howe Field ? its first win over the Ducks since 2002. Oregon has won 13 of the last 15 meetings.
THE SERIES VS. OREGON STATE: Under Coach Arendsen, the Ducks have won the season series in two consecutive seasons. Prior to that, the last time Oregon won the season series was in 1999 and the Ducks currently lead the series, 75-68-1. Oregon is 2-1 vs. the Beavers at Howe Field under Arendsen and won last season, 9-8, after scoring seven runs in the seventh inning to come from behind and win.
MILESTONE
With a 3-1 victory over then-No. 3 UCLA on April 2nd, Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen secured her 100th victory at Oregon and the Ducks are 104-56 in her tenure. Arendsen is 24 wins shy of 500 career victories.
MOVING UP THE CAREER LIST
Amy Harris: 6th all-time in games played (98); 7th all-time in wins (34); 8th all-time in complete games (24); T-10th all-time in shutouts (6); 7th all-time in innings pitched (420.1); 3rd all-time in strikeouts (402)....Harris is 72 strikeouts shy of the school record and 43 shy of moving to second all-time.
Beth Boskovich: T-10th all-time with 15 home runs; T-4th all-time in walks (75)...Boskovich has 81 career runs and is nine shy of breaking into the top-10...Her 22 doubles is four shy of the top-10 list.
ALMOST THERE
Shortstop Breanne Sabol is 16-for16 in stolen bases this season after going 2-for-8 last season...she now has 23 career stolen bases and needs just four more to move into the top-10 all-time at Oregon....Catcher Ashley Richards has 24 career doubles and needs just two more to break the top-10.
SECURING THE SERIES
Under the guidance of Coach Arendsen, Oregon has now won the season series in at least one season from every Pac-10 school with the exception of California and Arizona. Oregon has won the series vs. Oregon State, Washington and Stanford in back-to-back seasons (2003, 2004).
LOVENA CHAPUT- Co-Pac-10 Player of the Week - Mar. 21-28
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.
MORE CHAPUT
Although just a freshman, Chaput has emerged as the Ducks most consistent offensive player leading the team in slugging percentage (.583), runs scored (23), hits (41), doubles (10), triples (tie, 2), home runs (tie, 5), total bases (70), at bats (120) and games played (tie, 41). Her 10 doubles is sixth all-time for doubles in a single season...She has had at least one hit in seven of 10 conference games, currently hitting .379 in Pac-10 games...Seven of her 11 hits in conference play are extra base hits, including four doubles, a triple and two home runs...She has 17 extra base hits overall this season to lead the Ducks.
GOODELL EMERGES
Senior second baseman Erin Goodell is hitting .238 in conference play (3rd on the team) and has five RBI in conference play. She hit her first career triple vs. Santa Clara on Apr. 11 and in Oregon’s next game, Goodell hit a three-run triple vs. Cal...Goodell has 14 hits this season and every one has accounted for an RBI as she has surpassed her her RBI total from all of last season (12) with 16 RBI this season.
SABOL SACRIFICES, SCORES
Shortstop Breanne Sabol leads the conference in sacrifice bunts (13) and she also has 15 RBI...Sabol has scored at least one run in six of Oregon’s last 10 games and is hitting .421 with three runs scored, five RBI and eight hits in the Ducks’ last five games. In Oregon’s 25 wins this season, Sabol is hitting .452 and all 14 of her 15 RBI have come in games that the Ducks have won. She is 13-for-13 in stolen base attempts when Oregon is victorious.
COMING TO LIFE
Junior Beth Boskovich is hitting .320 in the Ducks’ last eight games and was 4-for-8 (.500) with two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored in Oregon’s last two games vs. Stanford. She has seven of her 21 RBI in the last eight games and leads the team with 21 RBI .
