Ducks Look to Keep Momentum Going Against Cal
Eugene, Oregon- The Oregon Ducks softball team (41-5) looks to continue its winning ways as the team welcomes the California Golden Bears (34-13) to Howe Field for a three game series. Oregon is coming off a big series sweep of the Lousiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns, but the Ducks cannot take the Golden Bears lighty.
In last weekends series against the Ragin Cajuns, Oregon was forced to use pitcher Cheridan Hawkins in all three games, and she delivered. Hawkins threw a no-hitter in the first game, gave up only two runs in the second game, and held off Louisana Lafayette in extra innings. Although Hawkins made each performance look like a cake walk, the Duck’s pitching staff must step up to lessen the workload for Hawkins. Offensively, Oregon looks to keep its bats hot as the team leads the Pac-12 in on base percentage, and Senior Janie Takeda looks to wrap up her storybook season.
On the opposing side, the Golden Bears come into this series winning three of its last four games. Although the team sits in the bottom half of the Pac-12, it looks to spoil Oregon’s postseason run. In the team’s last game, against Pacific, pitchers Stephanie Trzcinski and Katie Sutherland-Fitch allowed only two hits and one run. Although Cal has a 7-11 record in conference play, the team was competitive against the Washington Huskies, who were the number 18 team in the country going into the matchup. The Golden Bears won the series two games to one.
With only six games left in the regular season, Oregon is in the home stretch of another solid season. Head coach, Mike White, looks to keep the Ducks focused as each game could now factor into Oregon’s postseason chances. First pitch is at 5:00 pm (PST), May 1st, and the series wraps up on Sunday, May 3rd, at 12:00 pm (PST).
