For the first time in school history, the Oregon softball team swept a three-game series with the Washington Huskies.
The Ducks can thank Kailee Cuico for the record.
“It’s awesome to sweep that team and it seems unreal,” Oregon starting pitcher Karissa Hovinga said. “Obviously they’re a really good team and just to sweep them, in I don’t know how long, maybe ever, is awesome.”
Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and Alexa Peterson standing at first base, Cuico brought the crowd to its feet with an estimated 300-foot home run on an 0-1 pitch. The only problem, the ball was about 30-feet foul and that made the count 0-2, bringing the Ducks to their last strike.
Not to be deterred, Cuico made the most of the next pitch by hitting a line-drive home run over the right center field fence to give the Ducks a 4-3 win.
“I came up to bat and my nerves were kind of all over the place and I took a big hack and a long foul ball,” Cuico said. “I couldn’t really tell you (what pitch she got) but it was something good. It looked good to me.”
With the win, Oregon not only ups its record t0 30-4 while being 6-0 in the Pac-12, it drops its rival from the north to 21-10 on the year and 2-6 in conference play.
Cheridan Hawkins earned the win for the Ducks, but it was Hovinga who did most of the damage, throwing 4.1 innings and giving up one run on three hits, including three strikeouts. Hawkins, who threw 12 innings yesterday and didn’t give up a single run, replaced Hovinga in the fifth inning and struggled, giving up five hits and two runs in just 2.2 innings pitched.
“What can I say about Cheridan? She ended up getting three wins,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “I know she was disappointed in not holding up Karissa and making that lead not hold up but sometimes it happens.”
The game started out just like both of yesterday’s game did as Washington had runners on base early but were unable to come through with the clutch hits to push those runners across the plate.
Likewise, Oregon used its timely hitting early. Alyssa Gillespie, with runners on second third, launched a two-out double over the left fielder’s head to give Oregon the early 2-0 lead.
From that point on, the combination of Kaitlin Inglesby and Bryana Walker of Washington kept the Ducks’ offense at bay by giving up just three hits over the next four innings.
The Huskies cut the deficit in half when a wild pitch by Hovinga scored a run. Hovinga walked the next batter but got out of the jam by forcing Kylee Lahners, Washington’s home run leader with 10, to fly out to third base and end the inning.
Hawkins entered the game in the fifth inning with one out and promptly gave up three straight hits that eventually tied the game. Peterson had the defensive play of the game when she threw out a Washington runner trying to score from second base for the second out of the inning, keeping the score tied.
After a scoreless sixth inning, Hawkins gave up a leadoff double to start the seventh inning and that runner would eventually come around to score on a sacrifice fly. However, it set the stage for Cuico’s heroics.
The Ducks return to action Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader against UC Santa Barbara at 3 p.m., with the next game scheduled for 30 minutes after the first game ends.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka