Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, February 21, 2005, Page 12, Image 12

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    ■ Duck softball
Ducks split doubleheader
with Viking competitors
After winning game one
with a 2-1 score, Oregon
lost the second game 6-5
BY CLAYTON JONES
SPORTS EDITOR
The 13th-ranked Oregon softball
team rode the arm of freshman
Alicia Cook to a home victory
against Portland State in the first
game of a doubleheader, but the
Ducks couldn’t finish the sweep
against the stingy Vikings, losing
game two 6-5 Sunday. The two
games were the first ever played in
February at Howe Field.
Cook, a native of Elmira, over
came first-inning jitters in game one
to throw a three-hitter complete
game with an impressive 12 strike
outs — tying the third highest total
ever at Oregon — in the Ducks’ 2-1
victory over the Vikings.
“1 thought Cook pitched spectac
ular,” Oregon head coach Kathy
Arendsen said. “Twelve strikeouts
in her first home appearance is
pretty great. ”
The right-hander started the
game shaky after giving up back-to
back doubles to Portland State’s
Kimi Daniel and Mandy Hill, which
gave the Vikings (2-4 overall) an
early 1-0 lead.
Oregon (6-4) responded when
freshman left fielder Lovena Chaput
drove a 2-2 pitch down the right
field line for a double, followed by a
drive off the right-center-field wall
by shortstop Breanne Sabol for an
RBI double, scoring Chaput and ty
ing the game at one apiece.
The hot-hitting Suzie Barnes ig
nited Oregon’s game-winning run
when she singled to lead off the fifth
inning. Chaput laid down a sacrifice
bunt, moving Barnes to second
base. Barnes went to third on
Sabol’s second hit of the game and
scored on Beth Boskovich’s deep
sacrifice fly to right field.
Cook (3-1) finished up the game
allowing only one hit after the first
inning and only two runners to get
on base.
“I was definitely nervous,” Cook
said of pitching in front of her
friends and family for the first time
in college. “The last time I pitched, I
didn’t really have a good game ...
The ball was moving better today,
and I had better spin.”
In the second game, a slugfest
broke out with the Vikings coming
r
Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer
Oregon’s Breanne Sabol keeps her foot on the bag at second in the Ducks' 6-5 loss to
Portland State in the second game of a doubleheader.
Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer
Oregon’s Alicia Cook shut down Portland
State in the first game of the doublehead
er, throwing a complete game three-hitter
with 12 strikeouts in the Ducks’ 2-1 victory.
out the victors.
Oregon took an early advantage
in the bottom of the second inning
when Erin Goodell singled in Dani
Baird, but Portland State left fielder
Laura Segall threw out T.J. Eadus at
the plate when she tried to score
from second base.
Barnes then ripped an RBI triple
that hit the very top of the fence and
bounced back — inches from a
home run. The extra-base hit gave
the Ducks a 2-0 lead.
Portland State battled back in
the top of the fourth when Kayla
Lewis lined an Amy Harris pitch
over the left-center-field wall for
a game-tying, two-run homer.
Lewis came into the game hitting
below .100, but went 2 for 3 with a
double and a home run in the
second game.
In the bottom half of the inning,
Barnes stepped up for the Ducks
again and blasted a two-run homer
over the center-field fence to give
the Ducks a 4-2 lead. The home run
was Barnes’ team-leading fourth of
the season and her fourth within
one week.
The Vikings bounced back with
three runs in the top of the fifth in
ning when Alayna Petersen blasted
a three-run home run over the left
field fence to give Portland State a
one-run lead at 5-4.
Oregon fought back, picking up a
run to tie the score at five in the bot
tom half of the inning from a walk,
a sacrifice bunt and a wild throw by
Portland State catcher Rose Rut
ledge trying to toss out Boskovich at
third base.
No one scored again until the
seventh inning when Ani Nyhus,
who came in to relieve Harris in
the sixth inning, gave up a lead-off
double to Whitney Olsen. Cook
then came into the game for the
Ducks and threw out the first
hitter she faced, who laid down a
sacrifice bunt.
Portland State’s Daniel got
jammed with an inside fastball from
Cook, but hit enough of it to drop
the ball into right field, giving the
Vikings the lead for good at 6-5.
Oregon got a runner on second
base with one out in the final
inning, but Boskovich and Ashley
Richards both struck out to end
the game.
“Sometimes it comes down to
who wants it more, and it was pret
ty apparent they did,” Arendsen
said. “We have some work to do be
fore we are a good ball club. ”
claytonjones@dailyem.emld. com
Women: Bills, Kraayeveld
both record double-doubles
Continued from page 9
within single digits. Combined, the
freshmen scored nine of the Duck’s
first 12 points, with Forristall con
necting on 4 of 4 from the free-throw
line and Richards hitting a three
pointer from the corner to pull the
Ducks within two with 11:49 left to
go in the first half.
“We were very tentative (in the
beginning). I think a little bit of it
was the emotions,” Oregon head
coach Bev Smith said. “But we
didn’t struggle defensively, which
helped us stay in the game. When
we did make some substitutions,
we became better in terms of our
offensive execution.”
The Ducks took their first lead of
the game when sophomore Eleanor
Haring made a pair of made free
throws with 6:21 remaining in the
first half. After that point, the Ducks
would never relinquish their lead.
Oregon pushed the lead to 32-23
with 1:24 to go in the half on a pair
of three-pointers by senior Brandi
Davis and redshirt freshman Kaela
Chapdelaine.
In the first half, the Ducks shot 5 of
13 from behind the three-point line
and sunk 10 of 12 free throws. In con
trast, Arizona connected on 1 of 5
from behind the arc and 4 of 5 from
the free-throw line.
On the year, the Ducks are 15-1
when leading at halftime.
Oregon took the momentum from
the end of the first half and used it to
build a quick 17-point lead after three
consecutive three-pointers — two of
them by Kraayeveld.
“We just tried to start the second
half strong, and they just came out
on fire,” Arizona head coach Joan
Bonvicini said. “And from that point,
we were on our heels.”
Kraayeveld ended the game with
14 points on 4 of 14 shooting, 12 re
bounds, three assists and two blocks.
Twelve of her points came on three
pointers. The senior from Kirkland,
Wash., recorded her eighth double
double of the year and the 27th of her
career. Her 14 points marks the 20th
time this year that she has scored in
double-figures.
Kraayeveld helped an Oregon
defense that for the 15th time this
season, held an opponent to under
60 points.
The duo of Kraayeveld and Bills
kept the ninth-ranked scorer in the
Pac-10 — Arizona’s junior center
Shawntinice Polk — to seven points
on 3 of 8 shooting from the field.
The 6-foot-5 Polk managed only 14
points combined in both games
against Oregon this season.
Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer
Oregon senior Cathrine Kraayeveld, left, walks
off the floor in her final home game and fel
low seniors Andrea Bills, center, and Corrie
Mizusawa congratulate her during the Ducks’
69-51 victory against Arizona on Saturday.
“Tonight we played much better
defense (than in the previous Ari
zona game),” Bills said. “(In Tlicson)
we allowed way more transition
points, and even though they had a
lot in the first half, in the second half
we really buckled down.”
Bills added her own double-double
to the game with 10 points and 10 re
bounds in 29 minutes of play.
Arizona threatened only once
more, cutting the lead to 48-41 on a
fast-break layup by senior Dee-Dee
Wheeler, who led all scorers with 20
points, with 11:10 left in the second
half. After a timeout a minute later,
Kraayeveld hit her fourth three
pointer of the game to push the lead
back to 10.
“We knew they were going to
make runs,” Kraayeveld said. “We
just have to be able to stop those
runs and stay aggressive and keep
communicating, and I think we
did that.”
Davis pushed the lead back up to
17 with 4:23 to play on her fourth
three-pointer of the game. The Wild
cats were unable to get within 14
during the final four minutes.
Davis, who will return next year
for her final year of eligibility, led all
Duck scorers with 19 points on 7 of
15 shooting.
With 1:23 left in game and
Kraayeveld at the line, seniors Bills
and Mizusawa received a standing
ovation as they made their way to the
bench. After sinking her two free
throws, Kraayeveld followed suit and
the three exchanged high fives. The
seniors have provided an integral part
to a team that has the ability to reach
to NCAA tournament for the first
time under Smith.
“We wanted two things,” Smith
said. “To be undefeated at home and
to get high in the rankings so that we
can secure a bid in the NCAA tourna
ment. Our team deserves this victory,
and I’m proud of them.”
briansmith @ dailyemerald. com
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