After stunning Arizona for the second game in a row, Oregon looked to sweep Saturday’s doubleheader, but the Ducks couldn’t counter strong pitching from Hanah Bowen and Alyssa Denham as the Wildcats won, 4-3.
This was Oregon’s first loss this season in games decided by one run.
Samaria Diaz started for the Ducks and didn’t miss a beat. She worked the mound and struck out all three Wildcat batters for a quick one-two-three out at the top of the first inning.
In the bottom of the first, Haley Cruse, who has a knack for hitting homers on the first at-bat, started the game off with a solo homer to left center, giving Oregon a 1-0 lead.
Cruse hit a complete cycle on the day in her last four at-bats with a single, double, triple in game 1 and finished the cycle with a homer in game 2. The senior set a new career-high in home runs at seven on the season.
“I mean, what a better way to end your career than playing the best softball you can, and from the past three years she’s playing the best I’ve seen,” Oregon’s Shaye Bowden said.
To start the fourth inning, Makenna Kleithermes got the nod on the mound and made a quick impact with strikeouts against Dejah Mulipola — one of Arizona’s best hitters — Sharlize Palacios and Alyssa Palomino to close out the top half of the fourth.
Halfway through the contest, Oregon kept its narrow 1-0 lead.
Arizona’s offense came alive after pinch hitter Allie Skaggs came in to hit a 2-run homer over the right field wall, just barely enough for Cruse to catch. The Wildcats gained its first lead since the sixth inning of Friday’s game, 2-1.
At the plate was Cruse once again, who came through when Oregon needed it most. The senior’s line drive single up the middle brought pinch hitter Hannah Galey home to tie the game, 2-2.
“This weekend I just went out there and didn’t really want to have an approach, as ironic as that sounds,” Cruse said. “I just really wanted to focus on seeing the ball, hitting the ball and just trusting my instincts.”
Allee Bunker, who is fifth in the conference with 45 RBIs, hit an RBI single to left field. With RBI No. 46, Bunker’s hit brought Deijah Pangilinan home and gave Oregon back its lead once again at 3-2.
The Ducks’ lead didn’t last long, though. To kick off the sixth, Arizona’s bases were loaded when Carlie Scupin hit a 2-run single to left center. Scupin brought in Malia Martinez and Jasmine Perezchica to surge the Wildcats back in front, 4-3. This was the second lead of the day that Kliethermes gave up, Raegan Breedlove replaced her on the mound to finish the game.
With yet another opportunity to tie or take the lead in the bottom of the sixth, Gabby Herrera came in to pinch-hit for Vallery Wong to capitalize on a bases loaded, two-out opportunity. The Ducks came up empty after Herrera stranded all three runners. Alyssa Brito had a chance to bring in the tying or even the game-winning run, but a fly out to center field sealed the game, 4-3, in favor of the Wildcats.
With one more game left on Sunday at 12 p.m., Oregon will look to take the series, 3-1.
“I hate being on this end of game two,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “But I know we put it all out there, and if we put it all out there, we can learn from it and take it into the next game.”
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