April 28, 2000
EUGENE, Ore. - Senior Jill Robinson hit the 31st home run of her career, tying the Oregon career record held by Kathy Stahl, and Connie McMurren made the lone run hold up as the 17th-ranked Oregon softball team beat No. 4 Arizona State today at Howe Field, 1-0. Oregon won their fourth-straight conference game and improves to 33-18, 5-6 in the Pac-10. Arizona State falls to 38-12, 6-7.
Arizona State had numerous chances to score throughout the game, but McMurren (14-13) kept them off the scoreboard by stranding 10 Sun Devil runners on the bases. One of their chances came in the top of the first inning as they had the bases loaded with one out, but McMurren got Kirsten Voak to hit into a fielder's choice to second base and the Ducks got the out at home to keep the game scoreless. McMurren then retired the next hitter on a grounder to third to get out of the inning unscathed.
The Sun Devils threatened again in the top of the fourth inning when back-to-back one-out singles put them in a position to score but McMurren got out of it again, enticing Sara Kahler to hit into a grounder to second and getting Jamie Hlebechuk to ground out to first to end the inning.
After a leadoff single by Andrea Gustafson in the bottom of the first, the Ducks were held without a hit until Robinson connected off Voak (26-6) in the bottom of the fifth for her 13th home run of the season, one short of the Oregon single season record set last year by Katie Mackey. Holly Ray followed Robinson with a single of her own and stole second, but was left stranded there by Voak, who still recorded nine strikeouts on the afternoon.
Arizona State had a chance to tie the game in the final two innings but failed to plate a runner in each frame. In the sixth, Arizona State got back-to-back singles with nobody out but after a sacrifice by Jennifer Langenhuizen to move the runners over, McMurren got Andrea Rodgers to strike out and Kahler to line out to first base.
The seventh saw the Sun Devils again have runners on second and third, but McMurren rescued the Ducks again, getting Kara Brun to hit into a game-ending grounder to second base. In all, Arizona State left seven runners in scoring position.
Oregon head coach Rick Gamez was pleased with Friday's outcome. "We played awesome today,' he said. "Connie (McMurren) threw the ball extremely well and never got flustered despite having so many people on base all day. Her pitches were sharp and it seemed that every ball they hit well was directly at somebody. But we showed tremendous heart out there today. I've been telling the girls all year long to leave it all on the field and I feel that they did that today and it shows on the scoreboard. You don't win too many ball games getting outhit the way we did."
The Ducks are next in action tomorrow when they host No. 2 Arizona at 2:00 p.m. at Howe Field.
Arizona St. 000 000 0 - 0 8 2 Oregon 000 010 x - 1 3 3
UO- McMurren and Coe. ASU- Voak and Brannen, Kahler (4). HR- UO: Robinson (13).
W- McMurren (14-13) L- Voak (26-6) Att: 237