Oregon softball had already rallied once on Sunday, but it couldn’t hold on. In the seventh inning, it needed to find that fire once more if it wanted the sweep. 

Elon Butler and Amari Harper provided the spark. Emma Cox was the hero. Cox lifted a ball just deep enough into right field and Butler scored with ease. Jane Sanders Stadium exploded, and Oregon finished its first Big Ten series in style. 

Adorned in its white and pink uniforms for the Stomp Out Cancer game, No. 19 Oregon (21-7, 3-0 Big Ten) finished up the series against Penn State (19-9, 0-3 Big Ten) with a 6-5 win and snagged the series sweep. The Ducks were relatively silent through most of the game. Their pitching was cruising for most of the game, the defense was not having its best day out in the field and the offense was a shell of itself through the fifth. Oregon’s offense flipped the switch when it mattered though and put together two solid rallies to eke out the win. 

“We have definitely proven that we are a team who can come from behind and win at any point in the game,” Cox said. “We have a really tough lineup to throw to in the seventh inning, and I think that is always a good thing to fall back on.”

Senior Elise Sokolsky got the nod to start the final game of the weekend. She started her day with two strikeouts in the first inning and had one of her better outings on the season. Sokolsky (4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER) finished her day in the top of the fifth after she allowed consecutive singles.

“I felt like that is the Elise we know right there,”Lombardi said. “Just giving us an opportunity to win a ballgame.”

Stefini Ma’ake, after a long at bat with two outs in the second, sent a line drive into right field for a single. Rylee McCoy, who reached via a walk, managed to score from second as the throw from right fielder, Cara Bohner, drew Penn State catcher, Macy Chamberlin, towards the circle.

That one run the Ducks scratched across in the second was it for the first three innings. The offense had reigned supreme in the series but, echoing the chilly afternoon, was cold through the third.

“I think we just continue to have the mindset of we’re going to try and score every inning.” Ma’ake said. “If we don’t get it our way, then we’re gonna flip the switch.” 

Oregon’s infield was also having a rough go of it to start game three of the series. In the first two games, the Ducks had only committed a total of three errors. On Sunday, Oregon tied its series total in the third inning with their third error being handed to Addison Amaral at third base. Luckily for the Ducks, the errors did not result in any Penn State runs.

“Its about having each other’s backs,” Lombardi said. “If something does go our way it’s the next person doing the next right thing.”

The Ducks bats came alive in the fourth. Butler reached third on two errors and Cox drove her in with a dribbler to short resulting in a fielder’s choice. Ma’ake then lasered a ball off the base of the right field wall, scoring Regan Legg who pinch ran for Harper, who walked.

Penn State chased Sokolsky for Lyndsey Grein (2.0 IP, 1 H, 3 ER) who was used to entering games tasked with holding the opposition down. She inherited runners at first and second with nobody out in the top of the fifth and a wild pitch advanced both into scoring position. Grein got two outs with, but walked Michela Barbanente to load the bases.

Brooke Klosowicz, after a grueling at bat, torched a full-count fastball into the trees in left center for a grand slam. Klosowicz had her second home run in as many days and Penn State had its first lead all series, up 4-3. 

The Ducks tied the game up on a wild-pitch. Cox started the rally with a single up the middle, Ma’ake got Presley Lawton (pinch running for Cox) to third and she scored on the pitch to the backstop. 

Taryn Ho came up and singled to left to score Ma’ake who was on third after the wild pitch. The Ducks plated two in the late stage rally and regained the lead 5-4.

“We know how to win in different ways,” Lombardi said on the Ducks having to play small ball to pull out the win. 

Grein was back out for the top of the seventh, walked the first batter of the inning Jordan George, and head coach Lombardi turned to her flame throwing freshman Maddie Milhorn (0.1 IP, 1 BB, 0 H). George made her way to third and, with one out, scored on a fielder’s choice from Kaylynn Jones at second base.

What seemed to be a tailor-made double play ball to second base resulted in Jones whipping the ball to Cox at the plate. The throw wasn’t on line and the run scored. An intentional walk to load the bases was the last thing that Milhorn did, and Sokolsky was back in the circle to try to keep the Nittany Lions at one run. 

A line drive was caught by Ho up the middle and she beat the runner at second back to the bag for the inning ending double play.

Butler reached via an error, Harper walked and both were moved into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt from McCoy. Cox delivered the knockout blow with a sacrifice fly into right field that scored Butler from third. The Ducks secured the sweep with a 6-5 win.

Oregon is in West Lafayette, Indiana next weekend for a three game series against Purdue starting on March 20. The series will be broadcast via Big Ten + (video) and KWVA (radio).