(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)
Arizona State’s 7-0 loss to Oregon on Friday is in no way a reflection of the phenomenal pitching matchup that took place at Howe Field. But a five-run fifth inning for the Ducks made it look like an ultimate blowout.
It was a battle of youth against experience in the circle, as ASU freshman Breanna Macha took on the Oregon junior Cheridan Hawkins in what would be one heck of a pitcher’s duel.
Both pitchers took no-hitters into the fourth inning, but Hawkins took hers further and into the sixth when it was broken up by a Nikki Girard double.
Hawkins still posted a fantastic afternoon, tossing seven innings of shutout ball, while striking out six and walking none.
Macha was equally stellar for the most part, making a run at her second no-hitter of the season, as she had given up one run on a couple of hits through four innings.
But she ultimately lost out to Hawkins after a rough fifth inning, during which she surrendered five runs on seven hits and a couple of homers.
The Ducks were able to manufacture a run in the second without actually registering a hit. After two walks and a hit by pitch, Alyssa Gillespie grounded out to short, bringing in Janelle Lindvall from third and giving Oregon a 1-0 lead.
That one run would be all the Ducks would need, as ASU would find it nearly impossible to get anything going against Hawkins for all seven innings.
Arizona State didn’t even register its first base runner until the top of the fourth when an errant breaking ball hit Elizabeth Caporuscio. Hawkins, however, easily navigated her way out of the inning, inducing two straight pop ups from Chelsea Gonzales and Amber Freeman.
Oregon brought out the dagger and opened the floodgates in the fifth, when Lindvall and Koral Costa hit back-to-back jacks to put the Ducks up 6-0 going into the final two frames. They added another run on yet another bomb off the bat of pinch-hitter Gwen Svekis to up the lead to seven.
Despite Macha’s rough fifth inning, there was still a lot to like about the young hurler’s performance against the number two team in the country.
For Hawkins, it was just another great outing in her storied colligate career, with the southpaw showing exactly why Oregon’s rotation is generally talked about as one of the best in the country.
The loss puts ASU at 27-13 for the season, as the Sun Devils failed to extend their three-game winning streak that they had accumulated over the week.
The Ducks and Devils will be back at it Saturday from Eugene at 5:30 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks.
