Sonia Halajian crushed her third home run in three days, a three-run bomb with no outs in the top of of the first inning.
She then returned to the pitching circle where she went six innings in a 11-2 Cal win over the Ducks Friday night and kept the high-octane Oregon offense quiet for most of the afternoon.
The Oregon bats progressed throughout the game as the Ducks used a momentous four-run sixth inning to claim their first lead of the day and escape a back and forth game with an 8-7 win.
“It was like so what, three runs in the first inning, we still have six to go,” senior Rachel Cid said. “We are a team that likes to fight back when things get tough. That’s just how we are.”
After stranding two who walked in the first inning, the Ducks got on the scoreboard in the third. Allison Benning got Oregon’s first hit of the game, dropping a leadoff single into right field before being replaced on the base path by Hannah Galey who stole second. Kai Luschar drew a walk and the pair stole second and third.
A Hannah Delgado sacrifice fly was reversed to a strikeout as she left the batter’s box before making contact before a wild pitch allowed Galey to cross home, cutting the deficit to 3-1, the lone run produced that inning.
The Ducks got more run support in the fourth, as Cid launched a solo shot to shrink the Golden Bear lead to one.
“That one felt good,” Cid said. “The way that we came out from inning one to inning seven we knew the entire way that we had it.”
Makenna Kliethermes settled in after the first, allowing no more hits than the three that built the Bear lead. Holding Cal scoreless in the second through fourth innings, she was replaced in the fifth by Saturday afternoon’s hero for the Ducks, freshman Stevie Hansen who retired the side after giving up a leadoff double that scored on a sacrifice fly.
The Oregon offense responded with a two-run fifth inning of its own to even the score at 4-4. Benning reached base to start the inning with a double before being replaced once again on the base path by Gabby Herrera. On a fielder’s choice to the pitcher Herrera crossed home before a sacrifice fly by Ariel Carlson scored Hanna Delgado.
Hansen returned for the six inning. Hitting Kennedy Williams with a pitch to put one on, Amani Bradley went yard to reclaim an 6-4 California lead.
Cid led off the sixth with a single and reached second on a KK Humphreys sacrifice bunt. Jasmine Williams walked and advanced to third as Cid scored on a single by Vallery Wong. Herrera followed with a double, scoring Williams, in her only at-bat of the day, before Luschar brought Herrera and Wong home, driving a 2-2 single to give the Ducks the lead.
“It’s so fun,” Luschar said. “We all wreak havoc on the base path.”
Hansen returned to the pitching circle to close. She retired two but loaded the bases for Cal by walking two and hitting Sophie Medellin with a pitch beforeTatum Anzaldo scored on a Hope Alley single, at which point Hansen was pulled in favor of Jordan Dail.
Dail struck out the lone batter she faced to save the game and give the Ducks the second of three wins in the series.
“What you saw in both of our wins is all of our pitchers having each other’s backs,” associate head coach Sam Marder said. “To come in with the bases loaded… to have the confidence to throw your pitch I was so proud.”
The Ducks will look to stay hot when they travel to Los Angeles to face No. 3 UCLA April 1 at 7 p.m.
