There was no hiding the fact that earlier in the season, Oregon ace pitcher Cheridan Hawkins was struggling. Those concerns have been put to rest recently.

Hawkins threw a complete game and surrendered just two runs — none earned — on two hits with a season-high 15 strikeouts in Oregon’s mercy-ruled 15-2 victory. With the win, Hawkins improves to 18-3 on the season and lowers her ERA to 2.37. In her last four appearances, Hawkins has thrown 20 innings and given up zero runs with five hits and 38 strikeouts.

Even as the Ducks scored 15 runs on 11 hits, they were shut out in the first inning and allowed Cal to take a 2-0 lead after the first inning. The Golden Bears scored their two runs after errors by Janelle Lindvall and Jenna Lilley led to the early deficit.

However, Oregon cut the early deficit in half when Geri Ann Glasco led off the second inning with a solo blast.

The third inning saw Oregon explode for six runs. Lilley and Nikki Udria each hit a homerun in the inning while Glasco and Gwen Svekis added run scoring singles in the frame. The Ducks added five more runs in the fourth inning with five different batters recording RBI’s in the frame.

Up 12-2 entering the fifth inning, Oregon put the game away for good when it scored three runs. A Cal error led to the first un scoring before Lindvall blasted a 3-2 pitch over the left field fence to score Mercado for the final tally.

Lindvall led the way with three RBI’s while Udria, Lilley, Glasco and Svekis all added two RBI’s each.

Oregon plays Cal tomorrow in game two of the three-game series. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka 

— Oregon manager George Horton is known across the country as the manager who plays “small ball” on offense. Small ball typically refers to a combination of getting a runner on and sacrificing batters to move that runner into scoring position and hopefully, across the plate. However, small ball hasn’t worked for the Ducks this year so that’s why Horton and his staff have retreated from the small ball approach and taken up a more natural approach to hitting.

— The upcoming college football season will see a few rule changes, some of which has Oregon “on the other side of that vote” according to head coach Mark Helfrich. Helfrich, who is surprised by the sudden rule change, said “We’re in a place where we’d like to be able to go out and visit guys or have an opportunity for us to pay for it. We’ll play the rules as they come, but it was surprising to have it happen that quickly.”

— New Oregon defensive coordinator Brady Hoke admits that he likes what he’s seeing thus far through spring football but states that the defense is nowhere near where he wants them to be. He recently spoke with the Emerald for a Q&A.

— Although the Oregon men’s tennis team fell to No. 9 Cal over the weekend, sophomore Jayson Amos is near setting a Ducks record in wins per season. Standing at 24 wins on the season with his victory against Cal, Amos is three wins away from tying Sven Swinnen and his 27 win season during 2005. Amos’s 24 wins on the season has him tied for second on seasons wins with himself, set last year.

— The Oregon women’s tennis team suffered a recent setback when the Ducks dismissed three players from the team for a violation of team rules. Now with six players remaining on the roster, every Duck will get the chance to contribute to the team’s success because no longer can Oregon afford to sit anybody.

— With the club hockey season over, Oregon hockey player Trevor Shott is already looking forward to next year and new goals. After leading the team in goals scored (12) and second in points (21) this past year, Shott has set his sights on becoming the new team captain next year.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

It’s a moment that will live with her forever.

As she walks towards the pitcher’s circle during the christening of Jane Sanders stadium, Oregon softball player Sammie Puentes isn’t focused on the 1,600 people watching her.

Singing the national anthem is going to be the greatest moment of her life. All she has to do is take the mic, trust her practice and let her pipes take over.

“That was the most nervous I’ve ever felt in my entire life — I was so afraid of forgetting the lyrics that I was panicking beforehand and didn’t know if I’d be able to actually do it,” Puentes said.

As long as she can remember, Puentes has loved to sing. Besides the shampoo and conditioner in her shower, Puentes’ only audience was her mom.

“My mom had a beautiful voice and she used to sing a lot, but then she stopped for a long time and her [singing] voice never came back,” Sammie said. “She would still sing to my sister and me, but now it’s me with the singing voice and I owe that to her.”

Sammie and her mother Sara Puentes would sing together whenever they were in the car: mainly Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” and the Dixie Chicks.

Although Puentes appears confident in everything she does, she considers live performances one of her biggest fears — that’s why you’ll only find her singing in videos she posts to her 10,500 followers on Instagram.

“It’s totally different singing online because I can record myself first and listen to it and decide if it’s good enough to post,” Sammie said. “I’ve never had one negative comment but I’m just not ready for it and don’t know how I’ll react.”

While all of the comments she receives both online and by friends who watch the videos are nothing but positive, her own fear is something that limits her potential for a singing career after her time wearing green and yellow is over.

“I’m moving to LA for sure and I know I want to do something with music,” Sammie said. “I really hope to sing, so that’s why that moment was so big to me, but I just know I’ll be working in the music industry.”

After Sammie grabs the mic from Oregon Associate Athletic Director Lisa Peterson and the background music starts to play, her natural instincts take over. What comes out is a beautiful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” that has everybody in the crowd transfixed.

Not only does that moment mark the christening of Jane Sanders Stadium, it is also foundational for the rest of Sammie Puentes’ life.

“Singing is definitely my passion  — I’ve always wanted to become a singer but obviously my confidence is holding me back,” Sammie said. “That was a stepping stone by singing in front of everybody and I’m so happy I did that — I’ll remember it forever.”

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The Oregon softball team is back to its winning ways.

After losing two of three to No. 15 UCLA last weekend at home, the No. 6 Ducks regrouped with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Portland State. Oregon won the first game 7-1 behind the stellar pitching of Megan Kleist, and then had an offensive explosion in a run-ruled 11-3 victory in the second game.

Game 1: OREGON 7 — Portland State 1
Kleist threw 5.0 innings and surrendered one run on five hits with four strikeouts to improve her record to 12-3 on the season. Kleist started the game off with a perfect first inning before working herself out of trouble in the second. With the bases loaded and one out, Kleist induced a strikeout and a groundout to get out of the jam.

The Vikings got to Kleist in the third inning when she gave up a leadoff single and a double two batters later. Like before, Kleist buckled down and got the final two outs on back-to-back groundouts.

Geri Ann Glasco threw the final 2.0 innings for Oregon, striking out two and giving up one hit.

Offensively, Oregon scored three runs in the second inning, one in the third and three more in the fifth. Oregon took advantage of two Portland State errors and two walks to score most of its runs. Gwen Svekis added a two-run blast in the fifth inning.

Danica Mercado went 3-for-3 with a run scored while four other Ducks secured hits.

Game 2: OREGON 11 — Portland State 3 (5 innings)
Oregon jumped all over Portland State in the first inning as it scored five runs in the frame. Nikki Udria got it started with a two-run blast, her 11th homerun of the year, while Lauren and Janelle Lindvall each had RBI’s later in the inning.

The third inning saw the Lindvall sisters star again. Lauren singled home a run before coming around to score on big sister Janelle’s three-run blast.

The Ducks completed their scoring in the fourth inning when Glasco hit a two-run bomb that scored Koral Costa for the 11-0 lead.

The Vikings would score three runs in the top of the fifth inning off Jasmine Smithson-Willett when she gave up three runs, two earned, on two hits. The Portland State runs weren’t enough though as the game ended after the eight-run deficit after five-inning mercy rule.

Cheridan Hawkins got the start in the pitcher’s circle and was solid through her 4.2 innings thrown. She gave up one hit and one walk while striking out 12 of the 15 batters she faced.

Lauren went 3-for-4 while Janelle, Costa and Glasco all added two hits each for the Ducks, who pounded out 12 as a team.

Oregon returns to action starting Friday when it travels to Corvallis for a three-game series with Oregon State. First pitch on Friday is set for 3 p.m.

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Something rare happened on Sunday afternoon at Jane Sanders stadium.

For the first time in three years, the Oregon softball program left a Pac-12 series without winning it. Combine Friday’s 16-6 loss with today’s 4-1 loss to No. 16 UCLA, the No. 4 Ducks have lost their first Pac-12 series since the 2013 season.

Over that three year span, Oregon (27-6, 7-2 Pac-12) had won 25 consecutive Pac-12 series and had been crowned conference champions every year since 2013.

Sunday was the rubber match between the Ducks and Bruins but only UCLA (22-11-1, 4-3-1 Pac-12) showed up to play. The Ducks scored one run on three hits and left three batters on base while UCLA scored four runs on 10 hits and left 12 runners on base.

“We’re still one of the top hitting teams in the country. We know that and we know we can hit,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “What’s the trouble with the power — we got to hunt and find answers.”

The Oregon offense struggled to find a groove all game long. UCLA pitcher Paige McDuffee shut down the Oregon offense to the tune of one hit and two strikeouts over 6.2 innings. The left-hander consistently kept Oregon off-balance with a power fastball and changeup. When the Ducks did make solid contact with the ball, centerfielder Alexis Bennett and shortstop Delaney Spaulding made all the plays to keep the Ducks from a big inning.

“They [UCLA] played really good defense, I think they outplayed us [Oregon] in all three areas of the game,” White said. “They limited our power game — some of it can be attributed to their pitching balance but defensively, they really played well.”

The Ducks appeared poised to score in the bottom of the first inning when Nikki Udria and Koral Costa hit back-to-back singles with one out. After a walk to Geri Ann Glasco loaded the bases, the Bruins brought in McDuffee. Hailey Decker had a chance to put Oregon on the board but she lined out to first base as Glasco was caught off guard and got doubled up on the play.

Over the next six innings, the Ducks went down in order in five of the innings.

“[Our] 4, 5, 6 and 7 hitters were pretty inconsistent this weekend, I was a little disappointed in their performance as a group,” White said.

Oregon got on the board in the third when Danica Mercado, who singled earlier in the inning, scored from second base on a Costa fielder’s choice and Bruins error.

Freshman pitcher Megan Kleist got the unusual start in the rubber match and lasted just 1.1 innings after giving up three runs on five hits, including back-to-back solo blasts to start the second inning.

Cheridan Hawkins came on in relief of Kleist and threw the next 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits with five walks and six strikeouts.

“She shows those flashes of the Cheridan of old and then all of a sudden the wheels fall off pretty quickly,” White said. “We’re sticking with her because we know she can do it… this is a test for her to see what happens and whether she can turn the corner and continue to help this team.”

In the top of the seventh inning, between Hawkins and Glasco in the pitcher’s circle, the Bruins were able to load the bases with no outs. White brought Kleist back in the game and she calmly struck out the first batter she faced and got the next to line out into a double play and end the inning.

“She [Kleist] came back in a really tough situation and just did a great job, especially with a hitter who hit her pretty well this weekend,” White said. “I was very pleased with the way she came back in.”

Oregon returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts a doubleheader with Portland State at 3 p.m. at Jane Sanders Stadium.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka 

For the last couple years, the Pac-12 championship in softball has come down to Oregon and UCLA. Typically, both teams play one another later in the conference season with the winner of that series taking the conference championship. Oregon, winner of three consecutive Pac-12 championships, has taken two of three games against the Bruins for the last three years and those victories have propelled the team into strong postseason runs.

The Ducks (26-4, 6-0 Pac 12) enter the series, against UCLA first in the Pac-12 standings. The Bruins come to Eugene in fourth place with a 2-2-1 conference record after splitting two games with Cal and going 1-2 against Washington.

Oregon Notes
The Ducks have overcome some early season struggles to post an 18-game winning streak, which ties their program record for consecutive wins.

“I think we’re doing pretty good offensively, pretty good defensively and our pitching is doing well, so hopefully we can continue to do that and get stronger as we go,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “We know that down the road there’s going to be some very tough competition.”

Offensively, there isn’t a better team in the conference. The Ducks rank in the top five nationally in doubles (first), home runs (second) and runs (fifth) per game. In addition, they rank second in batting average, second in slugging percentage and 10th in on-base percentage.

Oregon’s offense begins with the first three batters in the lineup; Alyssa Gillespie, Nikki Udria and Koral Costa, all of whom rank in the top five in conference batting average.

Udria has arguably the best bat of anyone in the Pac-12. She ranks first in batting average (.482), second in slugging percentage (.941) and fourth in on-base percentage (.549).

Gillespie uses her speed and power to confuse defenses. She can either drop down a bunt or stand strong in the box and hit gap-to-gap.

Costa leads the Ducks with 10 doubles while being tied for third in homeruns at 7. As the No. 3 batter in the lineup, her primary job is to drive Gillespie and Udria in, which she consistently does. She has a team-high 34 RBI.

Pitching was Oregon’s expected strong suit but Cheridan Hawkins (10-2)  struggled early on. She’s found her composure as of late and last week against Stanford, earned two victories by throwing 12.0 innings and giving up no runs with four hits and 22 strikeouts. Freshman Megan Kleist has posted a 10-2 record with a 2.02 ERA as well.

UCLA Notes
The Bruins (20-10-1) are led by Allexis Bennett (.440) and Kylee Perez (.430), two players ranked in the top 10 of the conference in batting average. Madeline Jelenicki is tied for fifth with seven home runs.

“We’re going to have one of the better hitting teams in the country coming in this weekend,” White said.

Johanna Grauer and Selina Ta’amilo are the two UCLA pitchers who get the most work. Grauer throws the majority of innings (105.1). Ta’amilo has thrown just 85.1 innings, but posts a 9-2 record and 3.30 ERA.

Oregon and UCLA begin the three-game series on Friday at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene at 6 p.m.

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Emotions were running high for Oregon’s Cheridan Hawkins as she stared down Stanford’s Kylie Sorenson before the first pitch of March 24’s game. Not only was it Oregon softball’s home-opener for conference play, the game was also the christening of Jane Sanders Stadium, the Ducks’ new home.

“I was a little bit nervous just because we’ve never played here … We wanted to do good for the whole Sanders family and really break this stadium in on the first day with real positive juju,” Hawkins said.

After playing at Howe Field and using grime, rat and mold-filled locker rooms at MacArthur Court since 1987, the new $17.2 million stadium is like a dream come true for this program and its fanbase. $16 million of the project came via donation from 1951 Oregon alum Bob Sanders in honor of his late wife, Jane Sanders.

Molly Sanders, the daughter of Bob and Jane, threw out the ceremonial first pitch after Oregon head coach Mike White and Oregon assistant athletic director Lisa Peterson gave impassioned speeches about what the Sanders family and this stadium means to this program.

The stadium broke ground on June 4, 2015, and after pouring it’s first bit of concrete on August 28, was finally completed a few days prior to the home-opener. While there are still some knicks and knacks that need to be completed according to Dave Quivey, project coordinator for contractor Howard S. Wright, the stadium is complete.

“We were waiting for such a long time for a stadium and today got here,” White said after the opener. “It’s just a fun feeling, surreal almost because it’s something you dream about and then it’s here and you’re out there playing a game.”

The team facility houses multiple suites for donors to use as well as a team meeting room, an equipment room, White’s office, an office for the assistant coaches and a state-of-the-art locker room for the players. After never utilizing the showers in the old locker rooms underneath Mac Court, the players can’t get enough of the updated showers. Not only is there a plug-in system that allows them to listen to music while getting dressed, they also have control of the speakers that are in the bathroom and lounge area.

Attached to the team facility is an indoor training center for the players to use when the weather isn’t cooperating. The training center is big enough to house an infield for grounders and base-running work and has multiple nets drop down from the roof to be used for batting cages.

Upon entering the stadium, the first thing noticeable is the v-shaped roof that overshadows nearly two-thirds of the 1,500 available seats. A clay infield and artificial turf make Howe Field (still the name of the field itself) usable in nearly all weather conditions.

Highlights of the field include the “O-R-E-G-O-N” on the centerfield wall as well as the $250,000, 12-by-36 foot scoreboard that sits just beyond the right field fence. The stadium will add 1,000 bleacher seats in left and right center field to house 2,500 total people as well as having an entrance on 18th Avenue for those in the bleacher seats.

The most important part of the grand opening was the Duck’s 2-0 victory over Stanford, a day and game that will forever live in the hearts of Oregon softball, and all those involved.

“It’s an absolute honor to be chosen to throw the first pitch ever in this stadium and on that mound,” Hawkins said. “It’s something that I’ll never forget and will be with me forever.”

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It appears the No. 4 Oregon softball team has officially put its slow start behind itself.

After losing three of six games earlier in the year, the Ducks (26-4) have rebounded with 18 consecutive wins, tying the program record. The latest one, an 8-0 victory over Stanford (11-14) in six innings, came Saturday afternoon.

Cheridan Hawkins was dominant against Stanford once again, throwing 5.0 innings and giving up two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. With the win, Hawkins improves to 10-2 on the year.

“She’s getting people to swing and miss a lot, which is good,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “We’re going to have one of the better hitting teams in the country coming in next week.  … so we are going to need her at her best.”

Jenna Lilley was hit in the face by a pitch and lay bleeding on the dirt for several minutes before she was helped off by the coaches and training staff. Lilley was taken to Riverbend Hospital. As of Saturday night, doctors don’t believe she’ll need surgery, according to GoDucks.com

“They took her to the ER but we don’t really know of any information yet on what’s happening or how she’s doing,” White said after game. “We know she’s swollen but hopefully she’s good — our thoughts and prayers are with her.”

For the third consecutive game, the Ducks struck first by scoring two runs in an inning.

After a scoreless first inning for Oregon, Lauren Lindvall hit a two-out, two-RBI double to the right field fence to score Sammie Puentes and Janelle Lindvall. Puentes was the offensive star, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI.

The offense took an inning off before the Ducks scored two runs in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

“I thought we had better discipline today. We knocked that pitcher out that we only got three hits off last time, so we did a pretty good job there,” White said.

In the fourth inning, the Ducks took advantage of an error by Stanford’s pitcher, which scored Puentes and Cherish Burks.

The fifth inning saw Koral Costa and Geri Ann Glasco hit back-to-back doubles to start the frame. Puentes drove in Glasco with a single to give the Ducks a 6-0 lead.

Oregon finished the game in the fifth inning when Costa doubled home Nikki Udria, before coming around to score on a throwing error. Costa went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI.

Oregon returns to action when it faces No. 16 UCLA for a three-game series starting Friday at Jane Sanders Stadium.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

In the first game of Oregon softball’s series with Stanford, the Ducks won the game with dominant pitching. Fast forward to the second game of the series and this time Oregon used it’s explosive offense to earn the victory.

“The power came back a little bit more towards the end there with Nikki [Udria] getting a couple homeruns and Koral [Costa] hitting the ball hard,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “We just find a way to get it done.”

Nikki Udria had two homeruns and a triple while Geri Ann Glasco hit a walkoff two-run blast as the Ducks defeated the Cardinal 11-2 in six innings on Friday night. With the win, Oregon (25-4) keeps its Pac-12 record perfect at 5-0 while Stanford (11-13) drops to 0-2.

Just like Thursday’s game, Oregon started off hot by scoring two runs in the first inning. After Alyssa Gillespie drew a walk, Udria tripled to right center for the first run of the game. Koral Costa, the next batter, then lined out to centerfield to score Udria for the early 2-0 lead.

The Ducks extended the lead to 4-0 when Hailey Decker hit a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle to score Glasco and Costa, both of whom reached base on singles.

Stanford scored its first and only runs of the series when Haley Snyder hit a two-run blast over the right field fence in the top of the fourth off Oregon pitcher Megan Kleist. Up to that point, Kleist had been cruising through the Stanford lineup by using a devastating drop ball to combine with her fastball and rise ball to stay out of trouble.

“It felt pretty good,” Kleist said. “My drop was working best out of all my pitches — I was a little more wild that I normally am but it’s something to work on in practice this week.”

Oregon responded in the bottom half of the fourth inning with four runs as Gillespie got things started with a single that scored Sammie Puentes. A throwing error on the play also allowed Danica Mercado to scamper home for the 6-2 lead. Udria came up next and slashed a 2-1 pitch over the left field fence for the 8-2 lead.

“Sometimes on the outside… I tend to drive it that way,” Udria said of her homerun power. “I think maturity — really staying in my legs a lot more and getting that extra power.”

After a scoreless fifth inning, the Ducks finished the game in the sixth inning with three runs, all of which came via the homerun. With two outs, Udria hammered a first pitch fastball deep over the right center fence to make the score 9-2. April Utecht, pinch-hitting for Costa, singled up the middle to set the stage for Glasco’s heroics.

In the game, the Ducks pounded out 10 hits with four of them going for extra bases. Udria went 3-for-4 with four RBI’s as the only Duck to record double digit hits.

Kleist got the victory to improve to 10-2 on the year after throwing 5.0 innings and giving up two runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Glasco threw a perfect sixth inning.

The Ducks go for the series sweep on Saturday when they host Stanford at 12 p.m. at Jane Sanders Stadium.

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It’s been no secret that Oregon ace pitcher Cheridan Hawkins has struggled throughout the early part of the year. Entering the Ducks’ home-opener, Hawkins was a respectable 8-2 but boasted a 3.30 ERA as she struggled by consistently leaving pitches up in the zone.

That all changed Thursday.

Hawkins threw a complete game two-hitter against Stanford as struck out 14 Cardinal batters in leading the Ducks to a 2-0 win. With the victory, Oregon improved to 24-4 overall and 4-0 in Pac-12 play while Stanford dropped to 11-12 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

“Just being aggressive really helped,” Hawkins said of her performance. “My team did a great job of scoring those runs in the first inning so that makes you feel good — you have some room to be aggressive and attack your corners and that’s just something I tried to go with.”

The game didn’t get off to the best start for Hawkins as she walked the first batter on four consecutive pitches. But she recovered quickly and struck out the next three batters she faced.

It didn’t take long for Oregon’s potent offense to get going as Alyssa Gillespie got things started when she led off the bottom of the first inning with a bunt single. Later in the inning, Koral Costa would walk before Gillespie advanced to third on a sac fly as Costa moved up on a stolen base. With two outs and two on, Jenna Lilley blooped a single in shallow center for the first and only runs of the game.

The Ducks’ offense stalled from there as they only got two more hits the rest of the game.

The more Oregon’s offense struggled against Stanford’s pitching, the better Hawkins became. She recorded four strikeouts in the second inning after one of her strikeout victims reached first on a passed ball.

After surrendering hits in the second and third innings, Hawkins recorded perfect innings in the fourth, fifth and seventh in her most dominant performance of the season.

“She started things off with a walk and then struck the next five or six out,” Oregon head coach Mike White said of Hawkins. “She kind of got herself in a little bit of trouble and then struck people out — that’s kind of what Cheridan does to me, makes me grayer and older [but] at least she got the strikeouts.”

The game itself was significant in many ways as it was the first game ever played at Jane Sanders Stadium, the new home of the Oregon softball program. While Gillespie got the first hit and Lilley got the first RBI’s, Hawkins was given the distinct honor of throwing the first pitch and officially opening the stadium.

“It’s an absolute honor to be chosen to throw the first pitch in this stadium and on that mound,” Hawkins said. “He [White] could’ve picked any four of us [other pitchers] but he picked me so it’s an honor to be able to throw that first pitch.”

Oregon returns to action Friday when it plays game two of the three-game series against Stanford at 6 p.m.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka