Pac-10 Softball: Rice Shuts Out 11th-Ranked Stanford in 8-0 Victory

Oregon and Stanford will play a quick rematch on Sunday, with start time set for 1:00 PM at Howe Field.

Sophomore Melissa Rice recorded her eighth shutout of the season against the Cardinal. Photo: goducks.com

EUGENE - Two games in a row junior leftfielder Lovena Chaput has hit a ball beyond the fences at Howe Field, and two games in a row 13th-ranked Oregon has added another victory to its growing total.

On Saturday the Ducks dealt 11th-ranked Stanford an 8-0 loss, ending the game early in the bottom of the fifth by way of Chaput’s walk-off two-run homer to right center.

Oregon improves to 36-3 on the year, extends its winning streak to 15 games, and is now 12-0 at Howe Field and 2-0 in the Pac-10 conference.

It’s the first time the program has won its first two conference games since 2004.

In the bottom of the fifth with the Ducks leading 6-0, senior Kristi Leiter led off the inning with a single.

Moving to second on a wild pitch, the Lake Stevens, Wash., native was in scoring position for Chaput, who for the second straight day cleared the wall in right center with her fifth home run of the season.

Combined with Chaput’s heroics, it was sophomore Melissa Rice’s work in the circle that kept Stanford (25-7, 1-1) off the scoreboard. With the Ducks’ ace, junior Alicia Cook, still recovering from illness, Rice has started the last four games for Oregon, and is expected to make the start on Sunday as well.

Against the Cardinal, Rice pitched her eighth shutout of the year, allowing just four hits and walking one batter. Improving her record to 19-2.

Rice set her team up for the early victory in the top of the fifth by turning a double play. Stanford’s Alissa Haber hit a line drive straight to Rice, who quickly threw Jackie Rinehart out at first.

Rice also escaped trouble in the third after surrendering a single, walking a batter and hitting another to load the bases. The Colbert, Wash., native got out of the jam by retiring Michelle Smith.

The Ducks had a late lead in the game after a five-run inning in the bottom of the second. With runners on second and third, junior Joanna Gail hit a one-run single up the middle.

Chaput had runners on the corners, but was hit by Stanford starter Becky McCullough to load the bases.

Senior Amie Morris then produced a single to left field that proved difficult for Rinehart to field, and cleared the bases to give the Ducks a 4-0 lead.

Later in the inning, freshman Jenn Salling, who was a perfect 3-for-3 on the day, hit a two-out one-run single to bring Morris home from third.

Salling leads the starters hitting .515 on the year with a conference-leading 53 RBIs.

McCullough (8-5) took the loss after allowing eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits in 4.1 innings.

Oregon and Stanford will play a quick rematch on Sunday, with start time set for 1:00 PM at Howe Field.

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