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Oregon Softball: Season Comes to a Close as Ducks Fall Short

Justin Phillips — Mon, 27 May 2013 13:17:45 +0000

The Oregon Softball team did their best to claw back into the series over the weekend after dropping Game 1 on Saturday, but it did not fall their way. Jessica Moore gave a valiant effort to get her team back in it and Cheridan Hawkins pitch the relief outing of her life, but it wasn’t enough as Oregon fell two games to three to Nebraska who moves on to face Washington next weekend in the Women’s College World Series.

Press Release from the U of O:

#14 Huskers End #3 Ducks’ WCWS Hopes in Super Regional Finale, 4-2

GoDucks.com

EUGENE – The #3 NCAA seed University of Oregon softball team (50-11) saw its record-breaking season come to an end Sunday with a 4-2 loss to #14 seed Nebraska (45-14) in the NCAA Super Regional finale.

The Big Ten Runners-up now look forward to their sixth-ever World Series invitation, while the Pac-12 champion Ducks fell one win shy of a third trip to the Oklahoma City event after bids in 2012 and 1989.

In front of an ESPNU TV audience and sell-out Howe Field crowd Sunday afternoon (1,794), the two teams both scored a pair of runs in the first inning, before the Huskers added another run in both the third and sixth innings.Scoring in the opening stanza for the second straight game, Nebraska converted on three straight one-out singles, and an error by the second baseman for two runs.The Ducks’ lead-off hitters – sophomore Janie Takeda and junior Courtney Ceo – responded with a pair of singles in the bottom half of the first inning, and freshman catcher Janelle Lindvall walked to load the bases.Senior center right fielder and All-American Samantha Pappas followed with a 2-RBI single to center field to up her school career RBI record to 155.

UO threatened to score more in the first inning after junior DP Alexa Peterson beat out a sacrifice bunt to again load the bases with one out. However, a pop-up to the pitcher and strikeout ended the threat.

Nebraska went back ahead in the third inning after a pair of two-out singles and a double by Salem, Ore., product Hailey Decker.

Another double by Decker in the sixth inning led to the Huskers’ final run after a sacrifice bunt and single.

The Ducks stranded seven runners for the game, including single runners in the third, fifth and sixth innings.

Takeda tried to lead a seventh-inning comeback with a single to left field to open the inning, but a fielder’s choice and double play ended the game. The 5-4-3 final play was the fifth double play of the series for the national leader who entered the weekend averaging 0.81 per game.

For the game, three Ducks posted multiple hits – Ceo (3-for-4), Pappas (2-for-3, 2 RBI) and Takeda (2-for-4).

Combining stats from both of Sunday’s gams, Pappas also added the school career hits record to her name (238) and passed former great Julie Cavanaugh (234).

In the circle, Oregon starter and All-America senior Jessica Moore (27-6) pitched the first three innings, struck out one, walked none, gave up seven hits, and two of her three runs allowed were earned.

Hawkins pitched the last four innings, struck out two, walked none, and yielded two hits and one earned run.

In her first appearance of the Super Regional, Nebraska starter Emily Lockman (15-5) struck out five, walked one, yielded eight hits, and two earned runs.

Offensively for the Huskers, Decker went 2-for-3 with her pair of doubles, and six others hit safely once.

Earlier in the series, Nebraska won the opener, 5-2, on Saturday to finally blemish Oregon’s previous 16-0 game home mark in 2013.

In Sunday’s second game of the series, UO scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and 11th innings to eventually win, 4-3, in its first extra-inning tilt of the year.

In that middle contest, the All-Pac-12 First-Team pitcher Hawkins (19-5) got the win after she struck out 11 batters, walked none, and allowed two hits in her seven innings of relief.”Nebraska played fantastic the whole series,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “This wasn’t the result we wanted, but I’m very proud of our ladies. We had another sellout crowd, and they will certainly miss an amazing senior class that left a legacy that will never be forgotten.”Making their fourth straight Super Regional appearance (and ever), UO closed the book on a season that featured its first-ever Pac-12 title with a 19-5 league mark – three games better than WCWS advancers Arizona State and Washington.On the individual front, a record six Ducks won All-Region laurels, and 17 players landed on various All-Pac-12 Teams.

Among those honors, Moore became UO’s second-ever Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year. She capped her career with school records for wins (100), strikeouts (915), appearances (176) and innings (903), and also ranked top five in shutouts (fourth, 19) and complete games (fifth, 77).Fellow senior Kaylan Howard also etched her name into the Duck records books this season as a career record holder for homers (37), and likewise stood top 10 in career doubles (second, 40), runs (fourth, 146), RBI (fifth, 141) and hits (ninth, 199).

Looking ahead, the eight-team, double-elimination Women’s College World Series returns to Oklahoma City this week and runs from May 30-June 5.Every WCWS game will broadcast by various ESPN channels, and more information is available at the www.NCAAsports.com website.

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Oregon Softball: Super Regional vs Nebraska Set for Friday and Saturday at Howe Field

Justin Phillips — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:40:54 +0000

After taking care of BYU, North Carolina, and Wisconsin the Oregon Women’s Softball team will host Nebraska(from the Big 10 Conference) in a Super Regional this weekend at Howe Field for the chance to go to the Women’s College World Series.

Press Release from the U of O:

GoDucks.com

EUGENE – The #3 NCAA Tournament seeded University of Oregon softball team was rewarded with another ‘first’ Sunday afternoon with its announcement as a Super Regional host this upcoming weekend.

The Pac-12 champion Ducks (49-9) will host the Big Ten runner-up Huskers (43-13) on Saturday, May 25 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 26 at noon. A third if-necessary game would follow on Sunday at 3 p.m. Pacific Time.

Every Super Regional contest at Howe Field will be televised live by ESPNU.

All-session tickets are now on sale via this link, and single-day tickets will be available later in the week.

Last week, the Ducks won their fourth straight (and ever) NCAA Regional title with decisions over BYU (5-2), North Carolina (3-2) and No. 25 Wisconsin (3-0).

In the Regional in Lincoln, Neb., host and #14 seed Nebraska (43-13) beat Northern Iowa (4-0) and Stanford (7-1, 10-5) to advance to the Super Regional for the first time since the modern 64-team Regional-Super Regional format was created in 2005.

Overall in her 21 years as head coach, former Duck player Rhonda Revelle has led the Huskers to two World Series bids (1998, 2002) among their 17 NCAA trips.

Fourth-year Duck head coach Mike White sports a 15-7 record in the postseason and has guided UO to its four Super Regional trips in school history.

Last year, the #11-seeded Ducks claimed their second-ever Women’s College World Series bid (and first since 1989) after it topped the #6-seeded Longhorns in the Austin, Texas Super Regional by a 2-1 count.

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Oregon Softball Regional: Moore Pitches Ducks Past BYU 5-2

Justin Phillips — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:32:42 +0000

Oregon Pitcher Jessica Moore is ready for postseason play. She pitched her 12th complete game of the year and registered 12 strikeouts on Thursday in the NCAA Regional Opener vs BYU. Moore also picked up a hit and scored a run. Junior Shortstop Courney Ceo was 2-2 at at the plate.

Press Release from the U of O:

Oregon Pitcher Jessica Moore
GoDucks.com

EUGENE – The No. 3 University of Oregon softball team (47-9) stayed perfect in NCAA Regional play under fourth-year head coach Mike White with its 5-2 win Thursday evening over BYU (33-24) at Howe Field.

Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Jessica Moore (26-4) cruised to her 12th complete game of the season and raised her career regional postseason record to 9-0.

The senior from Sutter, Calif., struck out a season-high 12 batters – two better than her previous best vs. SDSU in late February – and tied the ninth-best Duck mark in a game.

She also walked one batter and allowed seven hits en route to her 26th win of the year – still third-best all-time for UO – and a school-record 99th career-wise.

“We played pretty well,” Moore said, “but we struggled with executing our game plan a little. It was good to get the win and get the jitters out. I struggled a little in the second inning when I let down a bit.”

In the first inning, junior DP Alexa Peterson put the Ducks ahead with a three-run homer. The shot into the left field bleachers was her 12th of the 2013 and moved her into a tie for eighth all-time in a season for the Ducks.

The All-Region First-Team choice drove in sophomore center fielder Janie Takeda and junior shortstop Courtney Ceo who had walked to open the game.

Moore scored UO’s fourth run in the fourth inning after she singled, advanced on a walk and errant throw by the second baseman, and a sacrifice fly by Ceo to center field.

In the fifth inning, four walks in the span of five batters accounted for UO’s fifth run.

“Getting off to a three run start was great,” Oregon head coach Mike White said, “and it got the jitters out early. This time of year we need to capitalize on our opportunities and then use our pitching and defense to win the game.”

For the game, junior shortstop Courtney Ceo (2-for-2) connected on her 19th multi-hit game of the campaign, and three other Ducks hit safely once.

The Cougars scored their pair of runs in the second inning on a two-out, bases-loaded single to center field by Carly Duckworth. BYU’s Alexandra Shamo-Hudson led off the inning with a single, and Coco Tauali’i and Mylee Davis reached on a walk and hit by pitch.

In the circle for the Cougars, Tori Almond (12-7) started the game and pitched to the first three batters. After Peterson’s homer, she was replaced two pitches later by Hannah Howell who worked the remaining six innings.

Altogether, Howell gave up three hits, struck out four, walked eight batters, and one of her two runs allowed was earned.

At the plate for the Pacific Coast Softball Conference champions, three players hit safely twice – Duckworth (2-for-4, 2 RBI), right fielder Gordy Bravo (2-for-4) and Shamo-Hudson (2-for-3).

Friday’s outcome raised the Ducks’ NCAA Regional record to 10-0 under White after it posted perfect 3-0 marks at Georgia Tech (2010), at Penn State (2011) and at home (2012).

Moore has been the pitcher of record in each of those games except the Atlanta finale her freshman season.

Earlier Thursday afternoon at Howe Field, North Carolina (40-19) beat Big Ten Tournament champion and No. 25 Wisconsin (42-12) in 8 innings, 3-2.

Looking ahead to Friday, the Tar Heels will face the Ducks at 11 a.m. in the day’s opener, and the Cougars play the Badgers at 2 p.m. The winner of that second game will face the loser of the Oregon-UNC game at 5 p.m.

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For more on the Ducks follow AutzenZoo on Facebook and Twitter.