The No. 23 Oregon Ducks (7-5) split a pair of games on Thursday during the opening day of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The first game saw the Ducks win 4-3 to hold off the UCF Knights (6-4) after an action-packed first inning. However, in the second game, it was Oregon that was playing from behind as it was unable to make a late comeback in a 3-2 loss to the Baylor Bears (4-3).
The Ducks’ defense was tested early by the Knights in the first game of the day. UCF’s Jada Cody was able to record a single as the leadoff batter of the game, then reached second base with a stolen base. She was able to advance from third after Aubrey Evans recorded the Knights’ second hit of the inning, getting to second base herself. Both Cody and Aubrey Evans were brought home on a single from Sona Halajian, UCF’s third hit of the inning. Oregon was able to stop the bleeding with two-straight outs to close out the top half of the 1st.
The bottom of the 1st inning saw the script flip completely. After the first two batters recorded a fly-out and ground-out, the Ducks were able to get a runner on base on a single from Ariel Carlson, who then stole second. Alyssa Daniell recorded a triple right after to open the scoring for Oregon. Hanna Delgado hit a two-run homerun to take the lead 3-2 in a high-scoring opening inning.
The 2nd inning and the top of the 3rd stopped any momentum that either team built in the 1st. Only one hit, a single from the Knights’ Chloe Evans, was recorded between the two teams.
The bottom of the 3rd saw Daniell get on base for the second time in the game for the Ducks, this time on a walk. Ayanna Shaw came in to pinch-run for Daniell and was able to reach second base on a ground-out, then stole third to get in scoring position. She got home on a sac-fly to widen the scoring gap to 4-2 in favor of Oregon.
The Ducks were able to keep the lead the same through the 4th inning before UCF started putting the pressure on in the top of the 5th. Chloe Evans hit a single, and reached second base on an error. She was batted home by Aubrey Evans to score the third run of the game for the Knights. Oregon was able to close out the inning without allowing any more damage to be done to its lead.
The bottom of the 5th and 6th innings for the Ducks were quiet offensively. They recorded just a single hit while being unable to give their lead any additional cushion.
The top of the 7th inning saw UCF make one last comeback attempt, pushing the Oregon defense to the limit. Cody got on base with a single, her second hit of the game. She then was able to reach third on a single from Chloe Evans, her third hit of the game. Morgan Scott, who earned the win in the game, intentionally walked Halajian to load the bases with just one out recorded. Scott then struck out the next two batters to help Oregon squeak out the win.
The Ducks offense was able to do just enough to outscore the Knights, despite being out-hit 11-6 in the game. The Oregon defense was able to stand strong when it mattered most though, forcing UCF to leave nine runners on base during the course of the game.
The second game of the double-header saw the Ducks face off against Baylor.
After a quiet 1st inning, the top of the 2nd saw Baylor’s Emily Hott get walked to start the inning before being advanced to second base on a single from Amber Toven. Shannon Vivoda recorded an RBI by bringing Hott home on a double. The Ducks’ Stevie Hansen then walked her second batter of the inning to load the bases for the Bears with just one out. Oregon was able to record two-straight outs to stop Baylor’s lead from getting any bigger.
The Ducks were unable to answer the early score, not recording a hit in the bottom of the 2nd or 3rd innings. Luckily for Oregon, Baylor was unable to capitalize on the Ducks’ offensive struggles. This meant that the door was wide open for Oregon in the bottom of the 4th. Delgado hit a single, then advanced to second on a sac-fly. She was able to get home while Daniell reached second base on an error to tie the score at 1-1 heading into the top of the 5th.
The score would not stay knotted for very long as the Bears got right to work on regaining the lead. Wilson hit a single, then got to third as the bases were loaded by the next two batters — Shaylon Govan and Hott — being walked and hit by a pitch. Sydney Collazos recorded a single to bring Wilson and Govan home, and bring the Bears’ lead up to 3-1.
The Ducks answered that small scoring outburst with two-straight 1-2-3 innings in the bottom of the 5th and 6th. Oregon’s defense recorded a 1-2-3 inning of its own in the top of the 7th, giving the offense one final chance to break through.
Daniell got on base with a single, then Vallery Wong put the tying run on second with just one out in the inning on a double. KK Humphreys got thrown out at second, but it was still enough to bring Daniell home and get Wong to third. However, a pop-fly ended the Ducks’ rally attempt, and left the final score 3-2.
For the second-straight game, Oregon got outhit by its opponent, this time 9-5. The offense was unable to gain any momentum throughout the game, and could not do enough to capitalize on a solid defensive showing. On the day, only one Duck was able to record multiple hits in a single game, with that being Luschar recording two against UCF. Morgan Scott was called upon late in the second game for Oregon to help close out the Bears after her strong performance against the Knights. She got five straight outs in the 6th and 7th innings, but the damage had already been done.
Oregon softball has its next two games of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Friday, Feb. 23, starting with a matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 3:30 p.m. The second game is a clash against the Long Beach State Dirtbags at 6:00 p.m.