After being on the road for the first four weeks of the 2017 season, the Oregon softball team returned to Eugene to host the inaugural Oregon Invitational.
The Ducks — the host team — showed no mercy against their first two opponents. Oregon began the tournament with a 16-0 run-ruled victory over Hofstra before defeating Idaho State 9-3 in the nightcap. With the wins, the Ducks stay perfect on the season at 21-0 — extending their school-record winning streak.
“It is so nice to be home, to not have to pack a suitcase, being able to sleep in your own bed, trying to catch up on schoolwork, it feels so great,” Oregon’s Jenna Lilley told reporters after the game. “Most importantly and above all, playing in front of our home crowd — we haven’t seen crowds like this at all, and our fans are the best. That’s definitely really special.”
Game 1: OREGON 16 — Hofstra 0
The Ducks’ offense exploded with 16 runs on 11 hits.
Eleven different players recorded RBI for the Ducks; Nikki Udria, Miranda Elisha and Megan Kleist all had homeruns. Kleist and Elish, who are both pitchers for the Ducks, recorded their first career homeruns for Oregon. Elish’s blast came when she hit pinch-hit in the fourth inning.
Oregon wasted no time in putting up six runs in the first inning, aided by a Lilley two-run single.
The Ducks scored four runs in the second inning when Udria and Kleist both hit two-run bombs. Oregon added three runs in third and three runs in the fourth to complete the scoring.
Kleist improved to 7-0 on the season with a complete game six-hitter. She struck out six batters and walked one.
Game 2: OREGON 9 — Idaho State 3
Once again, the Ducks struck first in the first inning when Alexis Mack scored on a Danica Mercado fielder’s choice. Oregon added a second run in the second inning when Mia Camuso scored after Sammie Puentes wreaked havoc on the base paths.
Idaho State cut the deficit in half with a solo run in the third before Oregon’s offense exploded in the bottom half the inning. Shannon Rhodes delivered the big hit for the Ducks, a bases-loaded triple, scoring the final three runs on the frame to give Oregon a 9-1 lead.
Maggie Balint, who leads Oregon with a 10-0 record on the mound, threw the first 4.0 innings of the game. She allowed one run on three hits with five strikeouts. Elish took over for Balint and threw the final 3.0 innings, giving up two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts.
The Ducks play another doubleheader on Saturday. First Oregon will face Idaho State in a rematch at 3 p.m. and then face Pacific at 5:30 p.m. in the nightcap.
“I think we need to put the ball in play, get hits, and make them try to catch us. That’s what we’ve been doing all year – getting a hit and make people try to catch us,” Oregon head coach Mike White told reporters after the game. “I like our pitching staff; we don’t give up too many runs.”
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