Arizona Splits Saturday Doubleheader
EUGENE, Ore. -- No. 7 Arizona and No. 12 Oregon split a pair of one-run games on Saturday, Oregon taking game 1, 1-0, and the Ducks responding with a 4-3 win in the nightcap.
Arizona (34-10, 11-7 Pac-12) will look to split the four-game series with Oregon (33-14, 11-9 Pac-12) on Sunday in Eugene.
Game 1: #12 Oregon 1, #7 Arizona 0
Oregon clinched the series with a 1-0 win in the early game on Saturday. Brooke Yanez shut out the Wildcats, her second complete-game victory in as many days.
Yanez narrowly outdueled Arizona's Alyssa Denham, who threw a gem in defeat. Denham (16-6) allowed one run on six hits; she struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Arizona had its opportunities early, stranding a leadoff Jessie Harper triple in the second inning and then leaving two in scoring position in the fourth when Dejah Mulipola singled and Harper doubled her to third with one out.
After both pitchers prevailed in the first 4.5 frames, Oregon broke the tie with back-to-back one out doubles in the bottom of the fifth.
The lead would stand as Arizona could not score a run in the sixth or seventh.
Game 2: #7 Arizona 4, #12 Oregon 3
Freshmen Allie Skaggs and Carlie Scupin had clutch late hits, while Hanah Bowen and Alyssa Denham teamed up for a gem in the circle, as the Wildcats defeated the Ducks, 4-3 in Saturday's second game.
Oregon led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run, and held that 1-0 lead until the top of the fifth inning. With one on and two out, Skaggs was called on to pinch hit. She drove a two-strike pitch the opposite way for a two-run go-ahead home run.
The lead would not last long, though, as Oregon responded with a pair of runs in the home half of the frame to retake the lead, 3-2.
After a pair of free passes and a single loaded the bases with one out in the top of the sixth, Scupin ripped a two-run single to left field to put the Cats back on top, 4-3.
Denham replaced Bowen after five strong innings to begin the sixth inning, and navigated around some traffic on the base paths to strand the tying run in scoring position in both innings to finish off the win for the Cats.
Bowen (8-2) allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts and a walk over five innings. Denham (S, 1) threw two scoreless innings to end the game, giving up two hits while fanning a pair and walking two more. It was Denham's second appearance of the doubleheader; she allowed just one run over eight combined innings.