Pac-10 Softball: No. 13 Oregon Opens Pac-10 Play with 4-3 Victory Over Cal

The Ducks face No. 11 Stanford on Saturday and Sunday.

Junior leftfielder Lovena Chaput torched her fourth home run of the season. Photo: goducks.com

EUGENE - Despite the dramatic finish, 13th-ranked Oregon opened up Pac-10 play with a 4-3 victory over visiting Cal on Friday afternoon at Howe Field.

With the win, the Ducks maintain their 14-game winning streak, 11-game undefeated mark at home, and improve to 35-3 on the year. But winning their first conference opener since 2004 wasn’t easy.

Oregon junior leftfielder Lovena Chaput torched a two-out, two run homer over the wall in right center to give the Ducks a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, but Oregon watched that lead disappear as Cal (23-17) erased a three-run deficit in the top of the seventh.

After allowing just two hits through the first six innings, sophomore Melissa Rice ran into some trouble in the seventh.

With runners on first and second and only one out on the scoreboard, Cal’s freshman second baseman Vernae Sevilla produced an RBI double to get the Bears on the board.

Julie Meyer’s sacrifice fly added Cal’s second run, before Jessica Moore tied the game scoring on a wild pitch.

But Oregon responded in the bottom half of the inning.

Cal freshman pitcher Lauren Frankiewicz, who entered the game in the fifth inning for starter Marissa Drewrey, walked Oregon freshman Blair Williamson and senior Suzie Barnes, before surrendering a single to sophomore Sari-Jane Jenkins to load the bases.

The table was set for the Ducks’ and the Pac-10’s leading RBI producer, freshman Jenn Salling. The starting shortstop hit a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Williamson to score the game winner from third.

Salling now has 52 RBIs in 38 games, while Jenkins has 53 hits in that span as well.

Rice improved to 18-2 for Oregon with a 0.81 ERA. Frankiewicz drops to 10-8 on the year.

Oregon scored the first run of the game when catcher Amie Morris worked a five-pitch to walk to lead off the third inning and made her way into scoring position by way of senior a Barnes’ sacrifice bunt.

Jenkins brought Morris home with a stand up double to the right field wall.

The Ducks will play three consecutive Pac-10 games at home this weekend, closing out Saturday and Sunday with No. 11 Stanford – both games are scheduled for 1:00 PM starts.

The Cardinal (25-6) opened Pac-10 play with a 2-1 victory over Oregon State.

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