Coach Heather Tarr and the No. 9 Washington Huskies love big innings and thanks to a six-run third inning on Friday night, cruised to an 8-3 win over the No. 22 Oregon Ducks.
The inning started with a solo home run off the bat of catcher Sydney Stewart, her fifth of the season. Alana Johnson and Jillian Celis added RBI singles before Olivia Johnson’s three-run home run doubled Washington’s lead to 6-0.
Johnson went 3 for 4 on the day with 4 runs batted in, and shortstop Rylee Holtorf also added 3 hits. The reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 8-3 and also scored 3 runs on the night.
Stay fair!
Olivia Johnson extends the @UW_Softball lead to 6! đź’Ş
pic.twitter.com/R7ksAIAM7t— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) April 6, 2024
In the circle, Ruby Meylan got the start and went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 3 hits, 5 walks, and 3 earned runs to go along with 3 strikeouts before being lifted for first-year Sidne Peters. The reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week went the rest of the way, allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3 to earn her sixth win of the season.
With the win, the Huskies improved to 26-5 on the season and 10-3 against Pac-12 foes while the Ducks fell to 20-13 and 7-5 in conference play. The two teams will meet for the second installment of their three-game series on Saturday afternoon at 5:00.