Softball
continued from page 11A
pared to the one-hitter she threw
earlier in the season.
“We’re a pretty good hitting ball
club,” head coach Rick Gamez
said. “And when we are shut out
like that, it’s very frustrating.”
Oregon started out on the right
foot as Gustafson opened up the
game with a single to left field, but
was quickly called out at first for
leaving first base too soon.
The Ducks went right after it
the very next inning with Lindsey
Welch ripping a one-out single up
the middle to center field. Triawn
Custer then struck out, but Welch
swiped second base, giving Ore
gon a chance at an early lead. But
Blades again worked her magic
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and got Andrea Vidlund to go
down swinging.
Gustafson again reached base in
the third on a two-out single to
center, but was stranded when
Alyssa Laux grounded out.
“I think Oregon definitely came
out swinging,” said Blades, whose
10 strikeouts further improves her
NCAA single-season strikeout
(580) and NCAA career strikeout
(1690) records. “Since we had
played them earlier in the year
they knew a little about what I
was throwing. They weren’t
watching many pitches.”
Neither were the Golden Ea
gles. Before the game, Gamez de
scribed his opponent as being a
“feisty group” who scraps for
runs. They proved him right in
[Blades] did a great
job of mixing it up and
keeping us off balance.
Rick Gamez
the bottom of the third.
Southern Mississippi started
off the inning with Kristie Martin
reaching first off of a throwing er
ror by Duck third baseman Holly
Ray. Amy Berman followed that
up with a fielder’s choice to put
two runners on. Oregon ace Con
nie McMurren (15-18) recorded
an out on the next batter, but then
gave up an infield bunt to Chrys
tal Stevens to load the bases.
Designated hitter Erin Johnson
then stepped to the plate and de
livered with a hard shot RBI sin
gle up the middle, to put Golden
Eagles up 2-0.
That would be all the runs that
Blades would need.
But just to be sure, SMU catcher
Kenya Peters extended the lead to
three when she led off the fourth
inning with a bomb over the left
field porch that she wasn’t even
sure had cleared the fences.
“I didn’t even know it was gone
until I got half-way around sec
ond [and the umpire signaled a
home run],” said Peters, who also
singled in the second. “I was fo
cusing on getting my hands out
and staying inside the ball. I’ve
been working on that in practice.
The Ducks didn’t give up, how
ever, as they tried to make a game
of it in the fifth and sixth innings.
Vidlund led off the fifth with a
walk, and moved to second on a
Ray sacrifice bunt, and to third on
a wild pitch. But she was left
stranded there after Blades got
Christi Shelton to foul out to the
catcher and Gustafson to strike
out swinging.
Oregon’s final rally came in the
sixth when Laux opened up the
inning with a single to center, and
took second on a wild pitch by
Blades. After Missy Coe went
down on strikes, Jill Robinson
walked to give the Ducks two run
ners on with only one out.
But again, Oregon couldn’t pro
duce when it had to. Welch
fouled out to third, and Custer be
came the eighth Duck on the after
noon to fall victim to the arm of
Blades.
“I think the key to us losing to
day was the lack of execution
with runners in scoring position,”
said Gamez, who has led the
Ducks to its third-straight postsea
son appearance. “One thing we
talked about prior to the weekend
was when we had opportunities
to score we needed the focus and
discipline at the plate.
“We didn’t do that.”
The mood was a little better on
the winning side, as SMU coach
Lu Harris was full of praise for
both teams.
“I thought it was an excellent
game today,” SMU coach Lu Har
ris said. “This was a top Division
I[-A] game. It’s what regional’s all
about. Oregon is a very good hit
ting team, and they came out
swinging early and all game
long.”
But Oregon’s swings didn’t con
nect often enough with Blades’
pitches, and Gamez realizes that
when Blades has it going, she is
extremely tough to beat.
“I have to give credit to Court
ney Blades,” Gamez said. “She
did a great job of mixing it up and
keeping us off balance.”
Oregon now must forget about
Blades and rebound quickly if it
wants to keep alive any hope of
reaching the coveted College
World Series in Oklahoma City.
Virgo
What are you doing this weekend? Check yOlir|
City ordinance proposed by EPD
could result in bigger fines,
costing students more money.
Informational
forum
Friday, May 19th, 2 p.m.
Gumwood Room, EMU
sponsored by the ASUO outreach team
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