In an explosion of offense and a stellar pitching performance from UO ace Cheridan Hawkins, the No. 1 Ducks took down the No. 10 UCLA Bruins 10-0 in run-rule fashion. It was the rubber-match of a three-game series.
Hawkins allowed two hits in five innings, while Janelle Lindvall and Koral Costa both helped out with grand slams in back-to-back innings.
The win is the first time UCLA has been run-ruled at home since 2009 in the NCAA Super Regionals against Missouri. The Ducks improve to 32-5, 10-2 Pac-12, while UCLA falls to 31-8, 6-3.
Both teams were scoreless through the first two innings, but the Ducks broke out for five runs in the third. UO’s Danica Mercado drove in the first run of the game after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Soon after, Costa’s team-leading 11th home run made it a 5-0 Oregon lead.
Lindvall’s grand slam in the fourth inning put the Ducks up 9-0. The Ducks added to their lead when Gero Ann Glasco throttled an RBI single in the fifth.
Hawkins took the win for Oregon, improving to 16-3, allowing two hits, three walks and striking out six in five innings. Her ERA drops to 1.06 on the year with 133 strikeouts.
The Ducks will be back in action with a doubleheader against Portland State on Tuesday in Hillsboro, Oregon and will return to Howe Field for a three-game series against Arizona State.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne