May 11, 1997
Oregon Splits with California
EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon split its final two games of the season with No. 25 California, winning the first 5-3 and losing the second 4-3 in the eighth inning Sunday afternoon at Howe Field.
Jennie Cook pitched two complete games for Oregon and Holly Yost threw all but two innings in the doubleheader for California. Both teams provided plenty of fireworks, hitting a combined five home runs including Heather Holt's 12th homer, breaking Oregon's single-season record.
In the opener, Oregon put the first runs on the board in the third inning, led off by junior Melisa Lemke's first home run of her career. Jennifer Apfelbaum and Jackie Ellis singled and Yost walked Angie LeRoy to load the bases. Holte then reached on an errant throw to first that allowed both Apfelbaum and Ellis to score and put Oregon up 3-0.
In the fourth, Lemke reached first on an error and was advanced by Apfelbaum's single and knocked in on Jill Robinson's single to put the Ducks up by four. Oregon scored their final run of the first game in the fifth as Jill Robinson hit a solo shot, her fourth this year.
California rallied for three unearned runs in the seventh as Kirsten Drake hit a sacrifice fly to score Karen Bonini and Jenny Ackley socked a two-run homer, her first dinger this season, for a 5-3 final score.
In the second game, Oregon opened the first inning with two runs as the Ducks loaded the bases with singles from Jackie Ellis and Lindsey Welch and a walk given to Angie LeRoy. California pitcher Melanie McCart then walked in both runs to give Oregon the lead.
Cal's Drake hit an RBI-single in the third to make the score, 2-1, then was thrown out as she tried to advance to second.
Holte hit her 18th career home run in the fifth to put the Ducks back up by two, but California's Drake answered with a two-run homer to tie the game at three runs apiece in the seventh inning. Oregon could not find an answer as McCart doubled and scored on an error in the eighth for the winning run, 4-3.
California is now 34-24 this season and 13-14 in the Pac-10 and advances into post-season play.
Game 1 - Oregon 5, Cal 3
Cal 000 000 3 -- 3 6 2
Oregon 003 101 X -- 5 9 1
Yost, McCart (6) and Takasaki. Cook and Holte.
WP - Cook (15-19). LP - Yost (26-19). Time - 2:05.
Game 2 - Cal 4, Oregon 3
Cal 001 000 21 -- 4 11 1
Oregon 200 010 00 -- 3 7 2
McCart, Yost (2) and Takasaki. Cook and Holt.
WP - Yost (27-19). LP - Cook (15-20).
Time - 2:15. Attendance - 346.
