Oregon didn’t want to look past Fordham in the first round of the NCAA Regionals. An 8-0 run-rule win over the Rams allowed the No. 4 ranked host team (46-8) to keep true its word.
That doesn’t mean that Oregon didn’t start preparing for Baylor ace Heather Stearns (20-7), who entered with a 1.89 ERA, before Saturday’s second game match-up that resulted in a 6-0 win.
“We didn’t want to overlook our first opponent, Fordham, but we did look ahead to face the challenging pitcher,” Koral Costa said. “We had good film, we had good preparation and practices … we just wanted to pass the bat, and that’s what we did today.”
After a game that head coach Mike White felt like was “the most prepared” his team has been for a regional opener, Oregon played like a team that was just getting warmed up.
It all started with the dominance on the mound.
“I just went with the game plan,” Cheridan Hawkins said. “I felt comfortable throwing everything today.”
Freshman Megan Kleist might have thrown five scoreless innings and given up just six hits against Fordham yesterday, but senior Hawkins (22-3) finished just one hit shy of notching her eighth career no-hitter – shaking off just one pitch – against the second-place Big-12 finishers (44-13) today. It wasn’t until the top of the seventh that Hawkins’ near-perfect run ended.
“She’s an amazing pitcher; she exploits weaknesses,” senior third baseman Sarah Smith, who recorded Baylor’s only hit, said. “We haven’t faced a girl like that: a lefty that can spin the ball.”
That was just the defense.
Offensively, the Oregon batters were just as impressive, pouring in runs against a seasoned leader who had plenty of recent tape to work with. In total, Oregon ended with 12 hits, much in part to three costly errors that were spread throughout the game.
Knowing that home runs are hard to come by in the postseason – especially in the College World Series – White emphasized consistently manufacturing runs.
“It’s good we can create some magic of old … that’s what we used to do when we had some speed,” White said. “(But) I’m still tinkering with that, trying to figure out the best way to do it.”
Oregon got on the board first in the bottom second. Right after Alyssa Gillespie (2-for-2) laid down a bunt to advance Hailey Decker (0-for-2) to third – immediately replaced by pinch runner Cherish Burks – both runners tagged up on a botched throw to third to take an early 2-0 lead.
Oregon went on to score a run in every inning after to close out the game.
Sammie Puentes scored on a throwing error in the third; Gillespie crossed home on a Nikki Udria (1-for-4) groundout in the fourth; Darya Kaboli-Nejad tacked a run on a Gillespie fly out in the fifth; Koral Costa (3-for-3) scored the final run in the sixth on a Janelle Lindvall (3-for-4) RBI double.
Oregon will now wait and see who it will face in Sunday’s final. White will wait until then to name a starter.
The first pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Jane Sanders Stadium.
“Kind of sets the stage for another classic match-up tomorrow, whoever comes through,” White said. “We’ll be waiting.”
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim