The Oregon softball team received terrible news Thursday when star pitcher Brooke Yanez announced she’ll have to miss the rest of the season due to injury. She joined star catcher Terra McGowan in having to sit out, with McGowan still nursing an injured hand.
Despite two key players missing, the No. 11 Ducks have operated with few glitches. Coach Melyssa Lombardi said before the season that the team is deeper than it’s been in years.
The players have backed up Lombardi’s claim so far. Vallery Wong, Ariel Carlson and Jordan Dail all stepped up in the Ducks’ home opener Friday in the Oregon/Oregon State Tournament. Dail’s performance on the mound and a pair of homers from Wong and Carlson in the first inning led Oregon to a 7-0 win, its ninth straight victory.
The Ducks went ahead 3-0 in the first inning, with Wong and Carlson hitting back-to-back two-out home runs. It was Carlson’s eighth homer of the year, doubling her career total entering the season.
“Ariel’s put in so much time. Val has put in so much time,” Lombardi said. “To see what they’re investing in, and to see them reap the harvest, it’s been exciting.”
They added three more in the second. Gabby Herrera and Rachel Cid opened with back-to-back doubles, then a sacrifice fly from Allee Bunker and an RBI single by Hanna Delgado made it 6-0.
Dail worked around two runners in the first and third innings. Wong continued to impress in place of McGowan, making a great throw to catch a runner stealing in the third.
“When I’m playing well catching, I feel very confident offensively as well, just knowing that I’m playing a good game today,” Wong said.
Oregon added one more in the fourth, as Hannah Galey doubled for her second hit of the day and came home on two groundouts.
Carlson narrowly missed her second home run of the game in the fifth, eventually striking out. Freshman Paige Sinicki followed with a triple, but the Ducks popped out twice and couldn’t drive the run in.
Dail retired the final eight batters she faced. She went five innings, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out two.
“I think I started to settle in a little bit,” Dail said. “The adrenaline, especially with it being my last first home game of the season, I just had to settle in a little bit and get some pitches to stop leaking over the plate.”
Makenna Kliethermes came in and pitched the final two scoreless innings. It was smooth sailing for the Ducks, completing a 7-0 shutout.
The Jane Sanders Stadium crowd of 1,928 roared and cheered in support as the Ducks “threw their O’s” in celebration.
“We’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time,” Lombardi said. “To play at the Jane, and to play in front of our home crowd. That’s why our athletes come here, because of the support that they get and how unbelievable our fans were.”
Up next, Oregon (17-3) will continue the Oregon/Oregon State Tournament with a doubleheader against North Dakota State (12-9) Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
