Ducks softball gets series win against Sun Devils for the first time since 2005
EUGENE, Ore— The No. 2 ranked Oregon softball team capped off an impressive three game series sweep against the No. 19 Arizona State Sun Devils with a win on Sunday, April 12th at Howe Field. This was the Ducks (35-5, 13-2 PAC 12) first series win against the Sun Devils (17-15, 5-6 PAC 12) since 2005, and the first sweep against them since 1989.
The series started out on Friday, April 10th with the Ducks victorious by a score of 7-0. LHP Cheridan Hawkins was stellar on the mound yet again for the Ducks as she threw a two-hit shutout and had a perfect game going into the fourth before that got broken up with a walk.
The Ducks were able to manufacture a run and get on the board first after getting two walks and two groundballs in the second inning. In the fifth inning, the Ducks bats were surging as starting catcher Janelle Lindval got the five-run inning going with a grand slam. Koral Costa then followed her with a solo home run making that her 12th of the year. Gwen Svekis added extra run support in the sixth with a pinch-hit home run, her 5th of the year.
On Saturday the Ducks bats showed no signs of slowing down as they run-ruled the Sun Devils 12-3 in just six innings. Shortstop Nikki Udria had a good day at the plate going 2 for 5 with 4 RBI’s and ended the game in the sixth with her walkoff three-run home run.
In the circle the Ducks gave the ace pitcher, Hawkins, a rest and started Geri Ann Glasco. However, Glasco was pulled after just one inning after giving up a two-run home run to Arizona State’s Bethany Kemp. Karissa Hovinga relieved Glasco and was able to shut down the Sun Devil offense, just as she did last weekend against UCLA. Hovinga was able to pitch five innings, while only giving up one unearned run on just four hits. The senior was able to improve her record to 9-1 on the season with the relief victory.
Sunday’s game was much closer than the first two were. Oregon used four walks by Arizona State’s Breanna Macha and a groundball to score two runs without even getting a hit in the first inning. The Ducks then added two more in the second after a Lauren Lindvall home run and a sacrifice fly by Jenna Lilley to make it 4-0. Macha would settle down from there and only allowed two more hits the rest of the game.
The Sun Devils clawed their way back into the game after a two-run home run by shortstop Chealsea Gonzales in the sixth, and a solo shot by Kemp, first baseman, in the seventh. Hawkins (18-3) was able to settle down and retire the final three batters and complete the series sweep for the Ducks.
Arizona State was the only team that the Ducks had not beaten in a series during the Mike White era.
The Ducks look to continue their winning ways when they take on Portland State in a doubleheader on Tuesday before resuming PAC 12 play next Saturday at Stanford.
