In a game that featured two of the nation’s top pitchers, the offense from both teams stole the show.
No. 3-ranked Oregon (33-4, 7-0 Pac-12) and No. 1 UCLA (33-3, 8-2 Pac-12) combined for 16 runs on 20 hits with four home runs. The Ducks were they were the team to prevail, though, winning 9-7 in the first of a three-game series with the Bruins.
Janelle Lindvall was the star of the game for Oregon as she went 3-for-3 with five RBIs and a home run. Koral Costa also went 3-for-3 and hit a solo home run while Courtney Ceo went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI.
“I’ve been feeling good lately,” Lindvall said. “My family is here, so I’m keeping calm at the plate and seeing it (the ball) well.”
UCLA was led by Ally Carda and Stephany LaRosa, who each hit a home run and three RBIs.
Cheridan Hawkins had 0.98 earned-run average going into the game and was touched up for three earned runs in 5.2 innings. She gave up seven hits and struck out five.
“I think I can do better for sure, have better control of the zone and work harder on the corners of the plate,” Hawkins said. “That’s something I’m going to work towards the rest of the weekend.”
Bruins pitcher Carda entered the game with a 0.79 ERA and gave up eight runs (five earned), nine hits and stuck out four in 4.1 innings.
The game was a back-and-forth affair but favored the Ducks in the end as nearly every time UCLA put runs on the scoreboard, the Ducks answered.
“I’m really proud of the way the ladies battled today with their bats,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “They really ran the bases hard and made the pitchers work for their money out there.”
UCLA scored a run in the top of the first inning but Lindvall responded with a three-RBI single with two outs in the bottom half of the inning. Lindvall drove a 1-0 pitch off the glove of the UCLA center fielder to plate Ceo, Alyssa Gillespie and Alexa Peterson and give Oregon a lead it would never relinquish.
After a scoreless second inning, Lindvall was once again doing the damage to the Bruins as she roped another two-out single to score a run, this time bringing home Janie Takeda.
After Hawkins settled down and posted another zero in the fourth inning, Oregon scored two more runs that seemed to put the game out of contention. After Nikki Udria reached on an error, Ceo tripled to score Udria and then came around to score when Takeda executed a perfect squeeze bunt to make the score 6-1.
The Bruins showed life in the top of the fifth inning when LaRosa launched a two-run home run off the Oregon scoreboard in right field to cut the deficit to 6-3.
Oregon responded when Lindvall and Costa hit back-to-back solo home runs with one out to erase UCLA’s two runs and set the score at 8-3 heading into the sixth inning.
Hovinga came in for Hawkins with two runners on and two outs. After walking the first batter to load the bases. Hovinga got UCLA’s home run leader Mysha Sataraka to strike out swinging and keep the lead safe.
The Ducks tacked on their final run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Ceo led off with a double and advanced to third on a UCLA error when Takeda was at the plate. She eventually came around to score when peterson flew out to right field for a sacrifice fly to put the score at 9-3.
UCLA didn’t go away easily, though, as it got the bases loaded with one out when a fielder’s choice plated its first run but got Oregon its second out of the inning. With two on and two out, Carda stepped to the plate and hammered a Hovinga offering way over the left field fence to put the score at 9-7 and provide some late-game drama.
Not to be phased, Hovinga calmly got the next batter to ground out to first baseman Kailee Cuico to end the game and preserve the opening game victory.
Both teams return to action tomorrow for a 3 p.m. game at Howe Field.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka