Oregon Ducks Softball Battles UCLA Bruins In Super Regional At Jane Sanders Stadium
The Oregon Ducks face UCLA in a three game series in the NCAA Super Regional Round in Eugene
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The Oregon Ducks Softball team has learned a lot since they last lost a Pac-12 Series, coincidentally against the team they will have to beat in UCLA to get to the Women’s College World Series in UCLA.
The UCLA Bruins faced Oregon in April and roughed up Starter Cheridan Hawkins, limiting her to just two innings in the first game of the series and taking out the Oregon Ducks. Since that series loss, Oregon’s first in the Pac-12 in two years, the Ducks have their swagger back.
Since the series with UCLA, Starter Cheridan Hawkins has found her game, shutting down opponents and lowering her season ERA to under 2.00, it now stands at 1.95, in part to getting back on track with an ERA close to 0.64 since the UCLA series loss. One player looking forward to facing the Bruins is Jenna Lilley, who was not available due to injury in the April meeting. In her last nine starts she is 9-0 with a 0.39 ERA with 66 Strikeouts.
Llley’s on base percentage in Pac-12 play was at .522. Oregon has a hot bat on the other end with Alyssa Gllespie who is coming off a 7 for 8 weekend in the Regional round last weekend. The Ducks have taken a different approach to the plate. They have become a less home run ball team and a much better and stronger small ball team. Singles, Doubles, loading the bases and manufacturing runs.
The Bruins come in with plenty of experience. The player to watch is Allexis Bennett who has hit safely in 17 of 19 games and has 16 hits during the span and Starter Johanna Brewer tossed her first no hitter against CSU Bakersfield in the Regional Round last weekend in Los Angeles according to UCLABruins,com.
UCLA comes in as the Pac-12 Runner Up, but has had the Ducks number the last few seasons. The series win for the Bruins on April was the first against Oregon since 2010.
Next: Oregon Baseball Drops Series vs Stanford
Oregon has a big home field advantage in their new home at Jane Sanders Stadium. When the season started they were getting used to their new field and facilities. The team is now adjusted and ready to go. The Series is a Best of Three that begins on Saturday night at 6:30pm Pacific Time. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 4, Game 3, if necessary will follow 30 minutes after Game 2.