Elon Butler played hero for the second-straight day in an Oregon softball uniform at Jane Sanders Stadium. She walked the Ducks’ second game of the day off in a run-rule win, driving in Oregon’s eighth run of the night against Samford with a two-run double in the 5th inning.

“(Butler) thinks she’s going to beat anybody,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said postgame.

No. 18 Oregon softball played its second double header on the second day of the Oregon Classic. The Ducks had a much different game from yesterday against Stetson University. While Oregon run-ruled them yesterday, the Ducks had to rely heavily on Taylour Spencer and Elise Sokolsky until Butler and Ayanna Shaw delivered the blows the Ducks needed.

Against Samford University, the Ducks brought the power back. Rylee McCoy picked up her second hit of the season with a key RBI double, and Kaylynn Jones launched her first homerun of the season en route to a five inning run rule, capped off by a Butler walk-off double. 

Game 1: Oregon 4-1 Stetson University

Wearing green pants and a black jersey, Spencer got the nod to start the first game of the double header as the Ducks looked to sweep Stetson on the weekend. The Hatters tied their run total from yesterday against the Ducks with two outs in the first inning after Nicole Edmiaston sent an outside fastball into the first row of the right center field bleachers. 

“We are going to lose balls over the fence,” Lombardi said. “I don’t want to lose them, but we’re going to. But you know what? I’ll take a solo bomb any day.”

In the bottom of the first, Butler picked right back up from where she left off as she continued her torment of the softball. She tied up the game in one swing, sending the 1-0 pitch into the safety netting in left field. 

Spencer settled down through her next two innings of work. Following the solo shot, she allowed only one batter to reach base while striking out two. 

Butler drove in the second Ducks run on the day in the third inning. A two out double laced into right center field brought in Shaw from first base. If there was one constant on the weekend, it was the Ducks offense running through Butler.

“To have her on my side and watch the ball get hit as hard as it’s getting hit, and I’m on her same team, I think it’s wonderful,” Lombardi said.

The fake steal, a play the Ducks ran twice yesterday, was put into play again on Saturday. Butler broke for home while Amari Harper stole second. Despite the call being challenged, Butler was still ruled out at the plate, though Oregon led 2-1 after three.

The Ducks were having a rough go of it at the plate. Despite being able to run-rule the same Stetson squad the day before, Oregon was not driving the ball into the outfield — instead, they were hammering the ball into the ground. Though they were making the defense make plays, the runs weren’t coming, and Spencer had to make do with a one-run lead.

Shaw tripled on a laser into center field with one out in the bottom of the fifth. With her speed, she almost caught up to Katie Flannery, who had to wait on first base to see if the ball was going to drop. Flannery scored, and the Ducks had a much needed insurance run on the board.

A fielder’s choice later in the same inning scored Shaw from third. The Ducks powered their way to a win yesterday, but today was all about getting runs any way they could.

With Oregon up 4-1, Sokolsky took over for Spencer. Spencer pitched very well following the mistake in the first (she ended her night with 5 IP 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER and 2 Ks).

“For me it was just, ‘Who cares?’ (I’m) going after every single batter, I think that’s been my mentality all year,” Spencer said. “Just go out, have fun and attack everybody as hard as I can.”

Sokolsky slammed the door on the Hatters in the seventh, sending them down in order. The Ducks swept Stetson on the weekend, winning the first game of the double header 4-1.

Game 2: Oregon 8-0 Samford

Sokolsky went right back out to the circle an hour later to start the second game of the day against Samford. She gave up a hit to start the game, but nothing else — clearly still in a groove after finishing game one.

The Ducks loaded up the bases in the second after a walk to Emma Cox, a single for Taryn Ho and an error on Bulldogs second baseman Ella Nelson. Not much was done as a fly out from McCoy was not deep enough, and the 2-3 double play ended the Ducks second inning chances. 

Shaw ripped her second triple of the day down the first base line to kick off the scoring in the  third. A Jones sacrifice fly brought Shaw home, and the Ducks broke onto the scoreboard.

Butler kept it going with a double, her second in as many games. Cox put in the longest at bat of the season for the Ducks so far. With a full count, she continued to foul off pitch after pitch to the point where the umpire ran out of softball, until, on the sixteenth pitch she flew out to left field to end the inning.

The Ducks were poised to strike again after a Ho hustle double down the third base line and a Braiesey Rosa hit by pitch. 

McCoy, who came into the day struggling heavily at the plate with only one hit on the season, finally snapped her hitless streak. She drove a ball into right-center field, scoring Ho. McCoy was greeted by screams and cheers in the Ducks dugout as she was pinch run for by Presley Lawton.

“She’s back. That’s all I needed,” Jones said regarding McCoy getting her first hit since the opening series. “That’s all it takes.”

Jones demolished a no-doubt three run blast over into right field, just to the left of the flag pole. She barely missed her first of the season earlier in the day, but got redemption in the form of a 5-0 fourth-inning lead. 

“Just sticking to my process and sticking to my plan,” Jones said. “Not worrying about hitting it over because when you do that, it doesn’t go over.”

Sokolsky’s (4.2 IP, 5 K, 2 BB) day was finally done, and she gave way to Lyndsey Grein.

Oregon got another run on a bases loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the fifth before Butler’s double extended the margin to eight and triggered the run rule just one batter later.

Oregon will be back tomorrow to wrap up the Oregon Classic at 12:30 against Samford. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus (video) and KWVA (radio).