With the game very in hand against Utah, Oregon’s Sammie Puentes stepped up to the plate in the top of the seventh inning with the bases loaded. The 5-foot-2 sophomore hammered a ball for her third career homerun and her second career grandslam.
The Puentes grandslam sealed a 12-0 victory for No. 2 Oregon and a three-game-series sweep over Utah.
Puentes finished the day 1-for-2 with the big blast while Janie Takeda went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases.
Cheridan Hawkins was dominant in the pitcher’s circle. Hawkins threw a complete game shutout, improving her record to 13-2. She allowed two hits and struckout nine Utah batters in seven innings work. She had her no-hitter broken up in the sixth inning on a double to the fence by Utah’s Hannah Flippen
Oregon got the scoring started in the third inning when Jenna Lilley worked her way around the bases before crossing home plate due to a Utah error.
The Ducks broke the game open in the fourth inning when they scored six runs on two hits. First baseman Hailey Decker had the big hit in the inning when she doubled home two runs.
Oregon wouldn’t score again until the seventh inning when it scored five runs.
The Ducks return home on Wednesday where they’ll play a doubleheader against Utah Valley. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter: @Ryan_Kostecka