No. 8 Stanford Nips Oregon, 2-1

Stanford starter Missy Penna (26-6) pitched a complete game for the second straight day vs. UO.

Photo courtesy: goducks.com

STANFORD, Calif. - Junior Sari-Jane Jenkins reached base all three at-bats Sunday vs. No. 8 Stanford, but the Cardinal still held off the University of Oregon softball team, 2-1.

Oregon scored its run in the fourth inning after a leadoff walk to Jenkins. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Blair Williamson, then scored on a grounder up the middle by sophomore Neena Bryant.

Bryant’s team-leading 39th RBI of the season puts her only three shy of the 10th-best total in school history (42), while she already ranks fourth all-time thanks to her freshman season total from 2007.

Altogether, Jenkins got on three times Sunday and singled in the sixth inning on a chopper to shortstop and reached via a hit by pitch and walk in the first and fourth innings, respectively.

She added two stolen bases Sunday – the sixth time this year she has multiple thefts in a game. The Salem, Ore., product is also UO’s hottest hitter of late and is batting .381 since the Oregon State game two weeks ago (8-for-21, 3 walks, 3 stolen bases).

Stanford scored its two runs in the third inning after leadoff batter Alissa Haber doubled to deep left center field, and the next batter Tricia Aggabao got on via a bunt single. With runners on second and third after a stolen base, Missy Coon and Rosey Neill each collected RBI’s on 6-3 groundouts.

Altogether, the Cardinal left six runners on base, including three in the second inning. With two outs, Stanford hitters reached on a single and two walks, but Cook forced an inning-ending unassisted grounder to junior first baseman Carlyn Re.

The Duck defense added two more double plays to their season tally Sunday to give them 17 for the season. In the first inning, third baseman Joanna Gail stepped on third base for a force-out on a hard grounder, then threw to first base. In the fourth, Gail caught a liner and threw to first base when the runner failed to tag.

On the mound, Duck senior Alicia Cook (11-8) pitched the first three innings and gave up three runs, struck out one and walked four, and both runs allowed were earned.

Freshman left-hander Brittany Rumfelt came on with no outs and one runner on in the fourth inning and forced a fielder’s choice grounder to third, and UO’s second double play. Altogether in three innings, the Lakeport, Calif., native struck out one, allowed two hits, walked one and allowed no runs.

Stanford starter Missy Penna (26-6) pitched a complete game for the second straight day vs. UO and struck out 12, walked one, allowed two hits, and UO’s run was earned.

At the plate for the Cardinal, the returning All-Region honoree Haber had two hits (2-for-3, 1 run), and four others had single hits.

Earlier in the weekend, Rumfelt and the defense held No. 8 Stanford to three hits and one run Saturday but the Cardinal held on to win, 1-0, at Smith Family Stadium. On Friday, UO pushed No. 22 California to 11 innings Friday afternoon in Berkeley before the Bears won the game, 3-2, on an RBI double.

Looking ahead to next week, the Ducks have four away (but nearby) games in the Willamette Valley – a doubleheader at Portland State (Wednesday, April 16) and a pair of games at Oregon State (Friday-Saturday, April 18).

Source: goducks.com

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