A common sentiment surrounding most young teams is that they must learn how to win. Little things can often be the difference in a game, and most inexperienced teams must face that truth through the months-long slog that is a college softball season.
While it would be unreasonable to conclude from the first two months of the season that Oregon softball’s late-game heroics will translate into the unpredictable playoffs, everything so far this season has been nonetheless encouraging.
In No. 4 Oregon softball’s (37-4, 11-1 Big Ten) 5-4 win over Minnesota (14-24, 3-11 Big Ten), the Ducks executed when it mattered most and rode a late-inning comeback to a one-run win.
Ayanna Shaw started the rally by hitting a double before being driven in by Emma Cox. Then, Kai Luschar singled home another run to tie the game.
Lyndsey Grein did her part in relief, holding Minnesota to just two early runs for most of the game, and giving the Ducks’ offense plenty of time to get going.
It took a while, but they eventually did.
Oregon took advantage of some Minnesota miscues, scoring three seventh-inning runs on just two hits. The Ducks manufactured their other runs by scoring on a sac fly and a throwing error.
Cox’s return to the lineup for the Ducks is a massive storyline as the freshman catcher had been injured since the early weeks of the season. She was 1-1 in Friday’s series-opener and DH’d on Saturday, but her presence in the Oregon lineup is noteworthy.
To lead for as long as they did, the Golden Gophers rode a Taylor Krapf two-run home run and a solid pitching performance from Sydney Schwartz.
But the Ducks eventually broke through and clinched their 10th-straight win against conference opponents.
Elise Sokolsky got the start and was tagged for the third-inning homer, but also reentered in relief and got the final out of the game.
Head coach Melyssa Lombardi’s squad tallied ten hits on the day, but was just 0-6 with two outs and a pedestrian 5-17 with runners on and stranded nine runners.
On the other hand, the Ducks did all the small things well, rotating their pitchers Grein and Sokolsky in and out at the right times.
It took a bit more effort than Oregon would have liked — the Ducks won 13-0 against this same Golden Gophers squad a day prior — but Lombardi’s team got it done.
Oregon will go for the sweep on Sunday at 10 a.m.
