Everything Melyssa Lombardi has called for was evident on Tuesday.
The leadership she heralded all preseason?
The resolve the sixth-year head coach said her team — with nine seniors — would show with greater competition?
The speed she qualified as the “best for any team she’s coached”?
It was all right there. On the scoreboard. The same one that read Oregon 12, Titans 4.
In what started as a back-and-forth affair with an abundance of lead changes and clutch moments, one big swing broke the tie and proved to be the difference.
Transfer Emma Kauf — who began the season with a 9-45 slump — had her biggest swing as a Duck. With runners on second and third in the seventh inning,, the fifth-year senior lined a single up the middle giving Oregon a 6-4 lead. Val Wong beat the throw home from centerfield and plated the second of eight runs in a game-deciding frame.
It was beyond loud Tuesday night in Fullerton. Lombardi’s Ducks (20-10, 7-2 Pac-12 ) ate it up, Fullerton (19-12, 5-1 Big West) just got eaten.
The resounding victory wouldn’t come without a gut check of a start. Fullerton’s first three batters reached base as an RBI single from Jessi Alcala brought home the game’s first run. Oregon entered the game ranked No. 11 nationally in fielding percentage at .979, but a pair of first-run errors proved costly. A grounder hit off Katie Flannery’s glove and plated the second run of the opening frame.
The Ducks — who were coming off a sweep of Arizona State — quickly responded in the top of the second. Emma Kauf blasted her third home run of the year out to left-center, cutting the Fullerton lead in half. Oregon tacked on two more in the inning as Flannery and KK Humphreys scored via an error and wild pitch respectively.
Reigning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week Morgan Scott got the start for the Ducks and had a rougher start than she would have liked. After allowing a pair of runs, she threw a scoreless second inning and looked to be settling down.
Alcala had other ideas, blasting a no-doubt shot out to right. The homer brought the bombastic crowd to its feet and knotted the game at three.
Staci Chambers was in the circle for the Titans and struggled to settle in. After throwing a scoreless second she allowed another to come in as Hannah Delgado doubled home KK Humphreys.
Chambers’ day ended abruptly as Haley Rainey entered the game in the second with runners on second and third but retired the ensuing batters in order.
Fullerton took full advantage of the Ducks’ clutch woes. With two down in the fourth inning, Kauf’s throw to second kicked off of Paige Sinicki’s glove into right field. The errant throw allowed the stealing runner, Colby McClinton, to come around and score on the brutal error.
Many times during the night, Oregon could have folded. The Ducks had numerous defensive blunders and struggled mightily with runners on. Clutch pitching was paramount in keeping the game close before the offensive onslaught of the seventh.
Taylour Spencer entered in relief of Scott and fired a scoreless fifth. A Humphreys error — Oregon’s fourth of the game — was the only baserunner allowed in the inning, as the freshman continued to shine.
Despite coming out on top, Oregon struggled at times offensively. The Ducks left eight runners on base on the day. Potentially the worst example of such came in the top of the sixth as the Ducks stranded a chance with runners on first and third and nobody down.
Lucky for Oregon, Spencer — whose ERA now rests at 2.32 — continued to put up zeros. Spencer faced just one batter over the minimum and was dominant in silencing the Titans’ offense.
The top of the seventh began as many innings prior.
Two Ducks reached base before Kauf stepped to the plate. Her single brought home Wong and Alyssa Daniell and started the offensive onslaught in an inning where Oregon brought home eight runs.
The shortcomings of innings prior felt minute as the Ducks tagged Fullerton pitcher Trisha McCleskey for five earned runs.
Delgado and Ariel Carlson both added two-run doubles and sent the once noisy crowd headed for the exits.
Spencer tossed a scoreless seventh and gave the Ducks — now the winners of five straight — one of their grittiest wins of the season. Oregon left eight runners on base and had five errors yet emerged on top.
The Ducks’ Southern California road trip will continue this Thursday with a 7 p.m. first pitch in the first of three matchups with UCLA (18-8, 4-2 Pac-12).
