OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – In a duel with national player of the year, Florida State pitcher Lacey Waldrup, Oregon lefthander Cheridan Hawkins and the Ducks came out on top 3-0 win in the Women's College World Series opener for both teams.
The top-ranked Ducks (55-7-1), who set a program record for victories in a season, advanced to face Florida on Friday (4 p.m. PT, ESPN2). The then-No. 1 Gators beat Oregon, 2-1 in eight innings in the preseason.
After giving up a lead-off single to Florida State’s first team All-America shortstop, Maddie O’Brien, Hawkins forced a groundout before walking Courtney Senas to put two runners on.
Hawkins, a fellow first team All-America choice of Waldrup’s, was untouchable following the first inning. Hawkins, a sophomore, retired 16 consecutive batters before Florida State put a runner on with two outs in the sixth following an Oregon error.
Hawkins (34-4) picked up the win and her 12th shutout of the season after allowing no runs on one hit with six strikeouts.
With Hawkins in a dominating groove, the Oregon offense played small ball to slowly build a lead.
The Ducks had 10 hits off Waldrup, tied for the most the FSU pitcher has allowed in her career. The Seminoles made a pitching change in the sixth inning after a leadoff bunt single by Sammie Puentes.
Oregon jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Alyssa Gillespie and Janie Takeda hit back-to-back singles and Gillespie scored on a Janelle Lindvall groundout.
The Ducks manufactured another run in the second inning. Alexa Peterson started the second with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Karine Shaver. That brought up freshman Nikki Udria, who came through with a big two-out single to score Peterson from second.
Oregon came through with another two-out run, this time in the fifth, to make it 3-0. With the bases clear, Koral Costa ripped a double down the left field line. Peterson followed with a double to nearly the same place, scoring Costa from second.