Yanez Dominates in Series-Opening Win
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Brooke Yanez tossed a three-hit shutout with a season-high 15 strikeouts to lead No. 3 Oregon to a 2-0 win over Oregon State in game one of the rivalry series Thursday.
How it Happened: Yanez was in control from start to finish, striking out at least one batter in every inning on the way to her 15-strikeout day. She worked around traffic on the basepaths in all but two innings but used the strikeout to keep the Beavers off the board, recording nine straight outs via strikeout from the third through sixth innings. Yanez gave up a leadoff single in the seventh, but shut the door by fanning back-to-back batters to end the game.
The Ducks jumped in front immediately, as Haley Cruse ripped a line-shot solo homer to left field in the first inning to make it 1-0. From there, the two pitchers would dominate, as OSU starter Mariah Mazon settled in as did Yanez.
Both teams had opportunities to get on the board in the fourth inning, but each stranded the bases loaded. In the top half, Oregon had the bases full with no outs after a walk, hit batter and fielder's choice, but couldn't cash in. Yanez worked around a hit, walk and error in the bottom half with a strikeout to end the inning and keep the Ducks up, 1-0.
Oregon added a key insurance run in the seventh inning to go up 2-0. As they have all year, the Ducks rallied with two outs, as Mya Felder singled home Cruse with a two-out RBI single up the middle to double the lead.
Quotable: LHP Brooke Yanez
On the keys to her 15-strikeout outing…
"Just commanding the zone and knowing what to throw, I think is the biggest thing. Being confident and knowing that my teammates have my back on the field."
Notable: Yanez's 15 strikeouts are the second-most she's had in her Oregon career … She struck out double-digit batters for the fifth time this season … Cruse led off the game with a homer for Oregon for the third time this year … She also extended her reached base streak to 17 games, going 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in addition to the homer … The Ducks have now scored a two-out run in 24 of the 25 games this year with 90 of the team's 175 runs coming with two gone in an inning … Oregon was without starting shortstop Alyssa Brito and outfielder Hanna Delgado.
On Deck: The Ducks and Beavers will play games two and three of the rivalry series tomorrow at 2 and 4:30 p.m. Both will air live on Pac-12 Network.