Irvine, California – The 14th ranked Washington Huskies edged out the 16th ranked Duke Blue Devils in the opening match of the Mark Campbell Invitational. The Huskies secured their first win of the season with a final score of 4-3 on Thursday morning. [BOX SCORE]
Innings One and Two: Scoreless Start
Both teams started off slowly as the first two innings ended without either side troubling the scoreboard. Washington, though took the lead in the third inning with Alana Johnson, coming up to bat for her first career at bat, hit up the middle, bringing in the first run of the contest and giving Washington a 1-0 lead.
Inning Four: Duke Ties it Up
Duke tied up the game in the fourth inning with back-to-back hits by the leadoff batters. The Blue Devils then added a run in the fifth inning to take a 2-1 lead. – Read more: LSU No. 1 in 2023 Perfect Game baseball preseason poll
Huskies’ Fiedler Hits First Home Run of the Season: In the sixth inning, Kinsey Fiedler came up to bat and hit the Huskies’ first home run of the season, tying the game at 2-2. The runs kept piling on for Washington with Baylee Klingler scoring on a wild pitch, giving Washington their second lead of the game.
SilentRain Espinoza then hit a double to right center, bringing around Olivia Johnson to make it a two-run game.
Inning Seven: Duke Scores but Washington Closes Out the Game: Duke brought in a run in the seventh inning with two outs, but Lindsay Lopez and the Husky defense were able to close out the game, securing the 4-3 victory for Washington.
Debuts and Notable Performances
Four Huskies made their debut in the Purple and Gold – Alana Johnson, Brooklyn Carter, Ruby Meylan, and Lindsay Lopez. Meylan recorded her first collegiate win, going 3.0 innings with three strikeouts and no walks. Lopez picked up her first save as a Husky. Johnson recorded her first career hit and RBI in her first collegiate at bat.
Dating back to 2014, Washington has a 42-3 record during Opening Weekend. Today’s victory over the Blue Devils, was well received by the Huskies, who are hoping to use this performance to the tone for the rest of the season.
Up Next for Washington:
The Huskies will play San Jose State at 11:30 AM PT and Liberty at 4:30 PM PT on Friday for games two and three of the Mark Campbell Invitational. The games will be streamed on FloSoftball, a subscription service. WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
