Different game, same story for the Ducks.
No. 21 Oregon (27-18, 12-10 Pac-12) took the opening lead for the second day in a row on Saturday.
But, for the second-straight contest, No. 6 Stanford (42-11, 17-6 Pac-12) responded — this time with a 3-1 victory.
It was a shaky afternoon for Oregon starter Elise Sokolsky. She walked five of the six Cardinal batters who reached base in the 2.0 innings before her day ended.
The Ducks took a one-run advantage in the first inning as Ariel Carlson launched a homer over the left field wall. Her solo homer made her the first player in program history to record 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases in a season.
That was about the only thing Oregon fans had to celebrate in Saturday’s contest. The Ducks didn’t add another run to its total after the early Carlson run.
Leaving eight runners on base on Friday played a factor in Oregon’s loss on Friday and Saturday was no different. The Ducks had an opportunity to go up big in the second. The bases were loaded with Kai Luschar at-bat and Carlson was next in the order. Instead of Carlson adding another grand slam to her season tally, Stanford pitcher Regan Krause worked out of the inning.
All it took was one moment for the Cardinal to pull off the win.
Taryn Kern knocked a two-RBI single in the bottom of the inning. Oregon’s failure to take advantage of runners in scoring position conceded momentum to its opponent once again.
Taylour Spencer relieved Sokolsky in the third inning. The freshman pitcher, for the most part, kept her composure against the top-10 team. In the sixth, however, Caelan Koch sealed the Cardinal’s victory with a home run.
The Ducks didn’t have any gas left in the tank. Oregon lost its fifth conference game of its last eight matchups as the batters went down in order in the seventh.
The Ducks have been playing for Pac-12 Tournament seeding as well as regular season wins. They went into Saturday’s matchup a half-game behind Washington for third. Luckily for Oregon, the Huskies dropped their matchup against Utah on Saturday morning.
A series win is no longer in the cards for the Ducks, but heading into the Pac-12 Tournament on a high note is still possible. First pitch for the final game versus Stanford is slated for 2 p.m. at Smith Family Stadium.
