University of Oregon
Stephen F. Austin
Ducks Set Program Record With 19th-Straight Win
03/05/17 | Softball
NO. 4 OREGON WRAPPED AN UNDEFEATED WEEKEND AT THE MIZZOU INVITATIONAL ON SUNDAY WITH AN 8-2 WIN OVER STEPHEN F. AUSTIN TO SECURE THE LONGEST WINNING STREAK IN PROGRAM HISTORY WITH 19-STRAIGHT WINS TO OPEN THE SEASON
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 4 ranked Oregon softball team completed an undefeated weekend at the Mizzou Invitational on Sunday with an 8-2 victory over Stephen F. Austin, securing the longest winning streak in program history with its 19th-straight win to open the 2017 season.
How it Happened: Gwen Svekis maintained a hot bat to give the Ducks (19-0) a quick lead in the first inning, ripping a two-run home run to left field. Oregon added a third run in the inning after Mia Camuso worked a walk and Jenna Lilley brought her around from first with an RBI double to right-center field.
Svekis continued to produce for Oregon in the second to make the lead 5-0, picking up two more RBIs with a two-run single to right field to score Alexis Mack and Danica Mercado, who each reached with singles and moved into scoring position with a double steal.
Mack continued a torrid weekend in the fourth inning with a leadoff double, her third hit of the game, and came around to score on a long RBI single off the left-field wall by Nikki Udria to make it 6-0, Ducks.
The Lady Jacks (8-13) got on the board with a runs in the fifth and sixth innings, as Taylor Fraccastoro and Brittany Lewis each belted solo home runs.
Oregon put a punctuation mark on its school-record 19th-straight win with a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Udria followed a pair of Duck singles with her own to center field for her second RBI of the day, and Lilley followed two batters later with an RBI single to cap a great day at the plate.
In the Circle: Freshman Miranda Elish (4-0) put together another strong outing for the Ducks, allowing just one run on two hits across five innings with four strikeouts and a walk. Megan Kleist pitched the final two innings, striking out two while allowing one run on the Lewis home run.
At the Plate: Mack finished 4-for-4 with four runs scored, raising her season average to an astounding .509 (27-for-53). Svekis was the big run producer on the day, driving in four while going 2-for-2. Lilley went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to continue her recent hot stretch, and Udria was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.
On the Tournament: The Ducks put together a dominating performance in the Mizzou Invitational, outscoring their opponents 47-7 and outhitting them 64-16 with a .424 team batting average and 1.58 team ERA. Mack was stellar at the dish, going 13-for-17 (.765) with two triples, a double, four RBIs and nine runs scored. Svekis and Lilley each posted identical .467 (7-for-15) batting averages, with Svekis going yard twice and Lilley once. Udria also finished above .400 for the weekend (8-for-19, .421) with seven RBIs. In the circle, Elish went 2-0 in 11.2 innings across three appearances with a minuscule 0.60 ERA, allowing only one run on three hits.
What it Means: The Ducks continue to build on the best start to a season in school history and now add the longest winning streak in program history, with all 19 wins coming on the road.
Notable: With three runs in the first inning, the Ducks have now scored in the opening frame in each of their last eight games … Udria improved her team-best hitting streak to 13 games, while Svekis pushes hers to nine games.
Up Next: The Ducks will play their first home games of the season at Jane Sanders Stadium next weekend when they welcome Hofstra, Idaho State and Pacific for the Oregon Invitational from March 10-12. V
