No. 4 Oregon softball won both of its games in the Missouri Invitational, beating Maryland and No. 24 Missouri via freshman pitching.
The tournament pits the Ducks against a variety of tough competition, specifically No. 24 Missouri, which Oregon beat 10-3.
Game 1 — Oregon 14, Maryland 0
In the first game of the Missouri Invitational, Oregon run-ruled Maryland 14-0 to improve to 15-0 on the season.
With two runs in each of the first two innings and three more in the third, Oregon had a strong 7-0 lead. The Ducks scored an additional five runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth for a run-rule win.
The Ducks, known for their big bats last season, saw signs of the old while the small-ball game was effective. Oregon hit two home runs from Shannon Rhodes and April Utecht. Utecht earned four RBIs.
The bats were strong for the Ducks as Alexis Mack went 4-for-4 for one run and two RBIs, and Cherish Burks went 2-for-2, recording two RBIs for the Ducks. Nikki Udria went 2-for-4 and also batted in two runs.
The shutout win was freshman pitcher Miranda Elish’s third win of the season. She allowed only one run with one out in the fifth inning.
Game 2 — No. 4 Oregon 10, No. 24 Missouri 3
Oregon won its 16th straight game of the year in a 10-3 win over No. 24-ranked Missouri. The Ducks got off to a quick start when Gwen Svekis hit a two-run home run in the top of the first to give Oregon the early lead.
Mack had another standout performance, batting 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs.
Going into the fifth, Oregon had a slim 2-1 lead but batted home five runs to take a commanding 7-1 lead heading into the sixth where the Ducks added two more runs.
At 9-1 Oregon, the Ducks had the chance to run-rule the Tigers but a solo home run by Braxton Burnside in the bottom of the inning pushed the game to seven innings. Missouri tacked on another run to narrow the lead to 9-3.
Maggie Balint pitched 5.1 innings and was replaced by Miranda Elish, who pitched the full five innings in the win over Maryland earlier in the day.
Oregon added on another run in the seventh to take a 10-3 lead going into the bottom of the final inning.
Up next: Oregon plays Missouri for a second time and then faces Butler in a Saturday doubleheader as the Ducks look to stay unbeaten in 2017.
Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow