The Ducks broke through the Beaver dam for the second time this week. The 8-3 win over the Beavers in Game 1 of a double-header on Friday meant that Oregon took the season series against Oregon State 

No. 18 Oregon (15-6) softball started the Jane Sanders Classic with the second rivalry game against Oregon State (9-15) this week. Elise Sokolsky got the start and despite a rocky first inning pitched well; Stefini Ma’ake brought her hot hitting back to Eugene and Amari Harper along with Rylee McCoy and Ayanna Shaw propelled the Ducks to the win.

Sokolsky’s rough first started with a  walk and a double that would have given the Beavers second and third nobody out, but shortstop Taryn Ho, as she was trying to stop her throwing motion from going to home plate, had the ball slip out of her hand. The ball hit just behind second base and rolled into right center. The error on Ho gave the Beavers a 1-0 lead.

OSU right fielder Morgan Howey capitalized on the shaky Ducks start and smashed a fastball to the left field netting for a two-run blast immediately following the Ho error. 

Ma’ake got the Ducks on the board in the bottom of the first with two outs with a screaming groundball past the first baseman and down into the right field corner. Elon Butler, who walked right before Ma’ake came up, flew around the bases to get Oregon back within two.

The next batter, Harper, cut that lead in half. She laced an opposite field single to left field and Ma’ake narrowly beat the throw home with a feet-first slide.

Shaw tied the game up in the second with a two out triple that scored Katie Flannery from first. The Oregon State outfield  played shallow, and Shaw hooked a 1-2 pitch over the head of Howey in right field. 

Harper drove a no-doubt two run shot into right center field between the scoreboard and the flag pole. Oregon was in the lead 5-3. The blast chased Kimberlee Aleman, who had come in for the starting pitcher Hadyn Milley in the second, and the Beavers sent out Amelia Streuber, their third pitcher in as many innings. Oregon loaded the bases but nothing would come of it.

The green and yellow continued to pass the bats in the fourth. Butler reached via error, Ma’ake singled (Regan Legg pinch ran) and pinch-hitting for Ho, Rylee McCoy doubled into left field to score both runners. 

Sokolsky (4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) walked one and got one out to begin the fifth, and her day was done. After the Beavers put up a three run first inning, Sokolsky settled down and held the Beavers scores all for the rest of the time she was out in the circle. Lyndsey Grein took over. 

Oregon got another late stage run from Harper after she smacked a line drive into left center field that rolled to the wall. The double scored Butler, and Harper was three for four on the day with four RBIs.

Grein held the Beavers hitless through her 2.2 innings of work. The Beavers only scored in the first inning, and only had one extra-base hit after the first inning: a one out double in the third. Grein struck out the side in the seventh, securing the Ducks win in game 1 and in the season series against the Beavers.

The Ducks would be back later in the evening for their second game of the double-header against Sacramento State University.