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Cook's arm, Gail's bat come alive in senior day win over Washington
Alicia Cook threw a four-hitter with four strikeouts, and Joanna Gail and Neena Bryant each collect two hits
by Jeffrey Dransfeldt | Senior Sports Reporter
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The packed stands, television cameras and rival Washington all were within Howe Field's confines on senior day for the Oregon softball team.
Joanna Gail captured the emotion from the start.
The third baseman saved a hit in the first inning when she leapt to her left with two outs and snared a hard-hit ball out of the air. She threw the ball to the ground and voiced encouragement to her teammates.
It was the beginning of an inspired effort from Gail, who, before family and friends, helped lead Oregon and the Ducks' five seniors to a 3-0 win Saturday over Washington in their final game at Howe Field.
The win salvaged some hope from a week that had already featured a loss to UCLA on Thursday and two defeats to Washington (28-23-1 overall, 7-14 Pacific-10 Conference) on Friday.
Oregon (33-27, 5-16) had to hope its fifth win in Pac-10 play would be enough to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. They learned Sunday that it was enough. Oregon will play Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. later this week.
Gail had perched a stuffed duck on top of the Oregon dugout before the game. Her mom, Katie Emery, had brought the duck to all her daughter's games, and for her final college game Gail and the team used it as a good luck charm.
In her final at-bat, Gail spun the first pitch toward the Oregon dugout, where it collided with the duck and knocked it on its back.
"I really couldn't have placed it any better, I think, right in the heart," Gail said. "It was pretty funny."
The pinpoint precision by Gail then was on display much of the afternoon, as she emerged from a hitting slump that had her hitting just three singles in her last 24 at-bats.
She started in the bottom of the first inning, following an RBI single by Neena Bryant with a double to left field, past the outstretched glove of the left fielder.
Gail brought home Oregon's second run with an RBI double off the top of the center field fence in the third inning. Gail says she thought it was gone, and kept pushing past second and was tagged out going for the triple.
It did little to diminish her final home game.
"I just felt this great feeling coming out (Saturday)," Gail said. "You have to play like it's your last (game). It's such a cliché but I think we really did play (Saturday) like it was our last game."
Freshman Cortney Kivett hit in Oregon's last run with an RBI single up the middle in the fourth inning.
Senior Kayleen Hudson, who went hitless, made her impact in right field, sliding for a catch in the seventh inning.
Oregon also benefited from a complete-game four-hitter from senior pitcher Alicia Cook, who recovered from an abbreviated start Friday in a 5-2 loss to the Huskies in which she pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs before giving way to freshman Brittany Rumfelt.
She threw a shutout Saturday with four strikeouts.
"That was just an awesome game with our defense, pitching, hitting," Cook said. "As soon as we walked on the field, we knew we were going to win."
The win, coming before a Fox Sports broadcast, gave Gail hope of extending her college career.
"I'm really glad this game was on TV today 'cause I feel like a lot of people watched it and saw who we are as a team, the real Oregon Ducks and hopefully that will be enough to push us over and get us in because I'm not done playing yet," Gail said.
jdransfeldt@dailyemerald.com
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