Softball: Hawkins Handcuffs Cajuns As Oregon Earns 8-0 Win

EUGENE, Ore. – Junior Cheridan Hawkins fanned 11 batters and tossed a no-hitter while the No. 2-ranked Oregon softball team used a five-run second inning to pull away from a scoreless game and earn a five-inning 8-0 victory over the No. 9-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns on Friday at Howe Field.
 
The series will conclude on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for 2 p.m. CDT. Both games can be heard in the Lafayette area on ESPN 1420 AM with live video available on RaginCajuns.com.
 
Nikki Udria, Janie Takeda and Jenna Lilley – the Ducks’ 1-2-3 hitters in the lineup – combined for seven hits for Oregon (39-5), with Lilley and Udria each belting home runs. Lilley went 3-for-3 and drove in four runs for Oregon with Udria and Takeda each going 2-for-3.
 
Hawkins (21-3), who had already tossed no-hitters this season against Oregon State and Washington, issued a first-inning walk to Shellie Landry and a fourth-inning free pass to Samantha Walsh. Coming off a one-hitter against Stanford, Hawkins fanned at least two batters in each inning, including striking out the side in the third.
 
Oregon loaded the bases in the second inning after Janelle Lindvall and Koral Costa each drew walks off Louisiana starter Jordan Wallace (14-3) before Lauren Lindvall was hit by a pitch. After Wallace fanned Alyssa Gillespie for the first out of the inning, Udria lined a pitch that ricocheted off Wallace’s leg and into left field to drive in a pair of runs.
 
Takeda then followed with her school-record 289th hit of her career as her single up the middle got past a diving Haley Hayden and scored Lauren Lindvall for a 3-0 lead. After Takeda stole second for her career-best 97th stolen base, Lilley followed with a two-run single to give the Ducks a 5-0 lead.
 
Oregon added two runs in the fourth inning when Lilley homered to center-field off Christina Hamilton before Udria closed out the game when she hit a solo home run with two outs in the fifth.
 
Wallace allowed five runs on four hits in 1.1 innings for Louisiana (34-6) while Hamilton allowed three runs on four hits with four strikeouts in relief. Hayden, who had a streak of 28 consecutive games reaching base entering the game, went 0-for-2 for the Ragin’ Cajuns while Lexie Elkins went 0-for-2 to end a 16-game streak of reaching base.