The Oregon softball team completed a sweep of the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona, with a 3-1 victory over Cal Poly on Sunday to improve its record to 6-0 on the season.
The Ducks were led by a trio of left handed infielders, Jenna Lilley, Alexis Mack and Danica Mercado, who all went 2-of-3. Batting 1-2 in the lineup, Lilley plated two runs in the top of the third and Mack plated one in the top of the fifth to give the team their final tally. The teams both went three-up, three-down in the sixth inning before heading to the final inning of the game.
Cal poly’s only run of the day came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh on an error, so the run was not credited to Oregon freshman pitcher Maggie Balint. Blaint owns a streak of 11 innings pitched without surrendering a single run.
With the win, Balint improved to 4-0 on the season. Balint took over for starting pitcher Megan Kleist in the bottom of the fourth after Kleist surrendered a single and hit another batter to start the inning. Kleist also ran into trouble in the bottom of the second, but pitched her way out of it. With one out and runners on second and third, but Kleist got a fielder’s choice and a groundout to end the inning. Defensively, the Ducks stranded nine batters to keep Cal Poly in check. During the six-game Kajikawa Classic, the Ducks surrendered just 10 total runs.
The team heads to Cathedral City, California, on Friday for five games in three days for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, starting with Kentucky and Kent State on Friday, Feb. 17. The Ducks will then face Liberty and CSUN on Saturday, before completing the Classic on Sunday against Illinois.
Follow Zak Laster on Twitter: @zlast3445
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