Washington Softball Falls To Oregon In Series Opener, 7-2

Saturday, March 19

Seattle, WA

3:30 PM

University of Washington

19-4, 0

Oregon

21-4, 0

Oregon

Washington

Photo by: Washington Athletics

Washington Softball Falls To Oregon In Series Opener, 7-2

March 20, 2016 | Softball

Box Score

By: Washington Athletics

SEATTLE -- The No. 8-ranked University of Washington softball team could not maintain its early lead as No. 7 Oregon scored four runs late to win game one of the series, 7-2, on Saturday (March 19) in front of a sell-out crowd at Husky Softball Stadium.

The Husky bats were unable to solve relief pitcher Megan Kleist, who entered a 3-2 game in the fourth and held Washington to just two hits in the final four innings. With the loss, Washington is now 19-4 and 0-1 in Pac-12 play and Oregon improves to 21-4 on the season and 1-0 in league play.

Freshman RHP Taran Alvelo (10-3) took the loss in the circle, allowing 10 hits and six earned runs. Through 5.0 innings, the Carroll, Ohio native struck out seven and did not give up a walk. Alvelo recorded three straight strikeouts to start the game and then struck out the side again in the fourth. Junior LHP Casey Stangel entered the game with no outs in the top of the sixth and shut down the Oregon bats, facing just six batters for six outs in the final two frames.

Washington left eight runners on base, including three in the second and two in the fourth inning. Junior shortstop Ali Aguilar went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a seventh-inning double. Senior Jennie McNeill accounted for the other RBI, hitting a single in the second to give Washington the early lead. Sophomore Trysten Melhart also tallied a pair of hits in the contest.

The Huskies used an inning of sound fundamentals to score the first run of the game in the second. Three seniors played a role as Kimberlee Souza led off with a double and Dani Braun's bunt advanced her to third. One out later, McNeill drilled the 1-1 count to the gap in right-center to plate Souza.

Oregon responded in the top of the third, scoring three runs off five hits. After sophomore second baseman Taylor Van Zee snagged a hard hit liner for the first out, Oregon doubled and then stole third. An attempted squeeze-bunt put runners on the corners before an RBI single tied the game, 1-1. Another single then loaded the bases and Alvelo struck out the second out of the inning. In the next at-bat, Oregon ripped a two-RBI double to take a 3-1 lead.

Washington trimmed its deficit to one run, 3-2, in the bottom half of the inning as Aguilar led off with her 12th home run of the season.

After Alvelo recorded three straight strikeouts in the fourth, freshman Tannon Snow led off the home half of the inning with her second double of the season which prompted a pitching change for Oregon as Kleist replaced starter Cheridan Hawkins. After a strikeout gave the Ducks their first out, sophomore Kelly Burdick's infield single put runners on the corners, but Washington left the pair stranded as back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning and Oregon preserved its lead, 3-2.

After a one-out double and an error put a pair on in the fifth, Oregon hit a three-run home run to take a 6-2 lead and then homered again in the sixth, a solo shot to go up, 7-2. The lead off homer prompted a pitching change as Stangel entered the circle for the Huskies and quieted the Oregon bats, getting the next three batters in order in the sixth before a three up, three down inning in the seventh.

The Washington bats, uncharacteristically, could not get anything going in the final three frames, held to just one hit, a double off the bat of Aguilar in the seventh. The two-out double proved to be too little too late as a ground out ended the game and gave Oregon the first win of the three-game series, 7-2.

The Huskies and Ducks will play again tomorrow (March 20) at Husky Softball Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.