Oregon softball wrapped up the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge with a gritty 4-3 win over North Dakota State on Sunday morning. New addition Alyssa Daniell continued to shine, and Tehya Bird made the difference with a go-ahead two-run homer. Meanwhile, Stevie Hansen got her season on track with a much-needed display of dominance.
Oregon struck first on an RBI single by Daniell in the first inning. The junior, who came from LMU, is 6-for-12 to start her career in a Ducks uniform.
Raegan Breedlove took the hill for Oregon and put in 2 1/3 solid innings of work. She worked around a Paige Sinicki error in the second inning, but Sinicki made another error in the third inning that proved costly. A Bison double tied the game at one apiece and knocked Breedlove out of the game.
But the Ducks fought right back in the bottom of the third. With two on and one out, Daniell hit another single to bring in KK Humphreys with the go-ahead run. Sinicki walked to load the bases, but neither Terra McGowan nor Vallery Wong could cash in any insurance.
The missed opportunity stung extra harshly after Oregon pitcher Elise Sokolsky gave up two runs in the fourth inning. Things got sloppy for the Ducks, as they permitted a single, a wild pitch, a double and a passed ball. That’s when Hansen entered, and an RBI bunt single brought in an unearned run, giving the Bison a 3-2 lead.
The bottom of the sixth started fairly innocuously, as Karissa Ornelas and Allison Benning both pinch hit and made outs. But after Ariel Carlson kept the inning alive with an infield single, Tehya Bird stepped up and smashed one over the left-center field wall, putting the Ducks back on top, 4-3.
Hansen settled in and quieted down the North Dakota State offense from there. She pitched the final 3 2/3 innings, giving up just two hits and striking out six. It was a necessary confidence booster for Hansen, the team’s designated ace who had a disastrous outing in the season opener.
Much like Oregon’s first win on Friday, it wasn’t a pretty or flawless victory. But it was a win for the Ducks all the same, giving them a 3-2 record in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. Next up is a five-game set in the Campbell/Cartier Classic, which begins Friday with a game against Utah Valley at 9 a.m.
