Oregon softball was looking for its second win of the season, but Oklahoma State pitcher Kelley Maxwell had other ideas. Three straight strikeouts for Oregon in the first inning was the beginning of a long offensive night for the Ducks.

Oregon suffered a 3-0 loss to No. 3 OSU Friday night. It was coming off a 4-2 win against Wisconsin earlier in the day. 

The first four innings of the game were a story of great pitching and defense. The closest the Ducks got to scoring was in the second inning when KK Humphreys doubled to center field. Humphreys later advanced to third base, but Maxwell’s fifth strikeout ended the inning with the Ducks scoreless.

In the fourth inning, OSU’s Kiley Naomi stole second base and advanced to third. A catch by Oregon’s Ariel Carlson kept OSU off the scoreboard with three outs.

The fifth inning is when OSU pulled away. Freshman Haidyn Sokoloski stole second and then third base. With the bases loaded, Oregon coach Melyssa Lombardi elected to swap Raegan Breedlove for Stevie Hansen on the mound.

Sokoloski still scored the first run of her collegiate career. The bases were loaded once again and the Ducks could not prevent another OSU run.

Lombardi went with her second pitching change of the inning, sending in transfer Elise Sokolosky. She limited OSU to scoring only one run, before ending a nightmare inning for the Ducks.

The final three innings were scoreless for both sides. Maxwell showed why she is one of the best pitchers in the NCAA, as she ended the game with 15 strikeouts.

The Ducks play again Saturday in their fourth game of five in Puerto Vallarta. They will face Ole Miss at 1 p.m., before concluding the tournament against North Dakota State on Sunday.