Oregon needed to score early and often to put itself in a position to play at least one more game this season. With two runners on base, freshman Rylee McCoy hit a bomb over the left field wall.
McCoy helped the Ducks keep their season alive with a five-run second inning. No. 16-seeded Oregon (50-7, 19-3 Big Ten) defeated Stanford (50-12, 16-8 ACC) 15-5 in the first game of Sunday’s Eugene Regional final.
The Cardinal demolished the Ducks 14-1 on Saturday to put themselves in the driver’s seat. Oregon took care of business against Weber State to advance to the final day of the Eugene Regional, but entered Sunday needing to win both games to move on to the Super Regional.
Kai Luschar led off the game with a hit-by-pitch to reach first. After Kedre Luschar flew out to center field, McCoy and Stefini Ma’ake drew walks.
The Jane Sanders crowd chanted “Let’s go Ducks” as Paige Sinicki stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded. Stanford pitcher Kylie Chung pitched her eighth-straight ball, and Sinicki drew another walk, this time scoring Kai Luschar.
Dezianna Patmon later singled to shortstop to bring home McCoy, but Oregon couldn’t do more damage and left the bases loaded.
Lyndsey Grein started inside the circle for the third time this weekend. She appeared rattled in the first inning, with the Cardinal scoring two runs off of wild pitches. Grein and the Ducks still managed to escape the inning tied.
Kedre Luschar regained the Oregon advantage with a hard hit ball to right field that scored Katie Flannery and advanced Kai Luschar to third.
McCoy put the Ducks ahead by four with her decisive homer, which tied the single-season program record with 19.
Stanford made a pitching change, bringing in Zoe Prystajko. Ma’ake kept the offense rolling with a single and advanced to second on a fielding error. Catcher Emma Cox flew out to center field, but Ma’ake advanced from third to home for the fifth run of the inning.
The Cardinal cut the deficit down to four with a solo shot by Allie Clements, but didn’t generate more runs. Kedre Luschar made a diving catch by the left-center wall to end the inning.
Grein’s afternoon ended in the fourth after allowing runners to reach second and third with no outs. Elise Sokolsky entered in relief, despite the Ducks likely needing both of their pitchers in the second game.
Sokolsky recorded the strikeout to end the fifth, but not before Stanford tacked on a pair of runs, including another Clements RBI.
Kedre Luschar continued her big weekend by homering just to the left of The Bob in center field with Regan Legg and Kai Luschar on base. Sinicki nearly hit it out again, but recorded her second triple of the weekend to score another run. She came home on a wild pitch to put Oregon one away from the run-rule.
The Ducks didn’t pull eight runs ahead until the sixth when Ma’ake drew a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded. Sinicki’s walk scored run number 14 and McCoy scored on a wild pitch. Sokolsky and Oregon sent the Cardinal down in order to finish the game after six innings.
The Ducks and the Cardinal are set to face off again Sunday evening, approximately 35 minutes after this game ended. The winner will clinch a spot in the Super Regionals.
