The Oregon Ducks (13-9, 1-1 Pac-12) were able to survive a scare from the No. 15 Cal Golden Bears (21-3, 1-1 Pac-12) to earn a 4-3 win to split the double-header. The Ducks were able to survive despite allowing three straight runs to the Golden Bears late in the game to come away with the win in extra innings.
The bottom of the first inning in the second game of the double-header saw a similar outcome to the first game. Ariel Carlson hit a solo shot to open the scoring in the game to give Oregon a 1-0 lead.
Morgan Scott showcased strong pitching throughout the start of the game. After allowing just one hit in the first, she pitched a 1-2-3 inning while striking out the final two batters in the top of the second. In the top of the third, Scott allowed a single to leadoff the inning, but retired the next three batters to leave another runner stranded for Cal.
The Ducks were able to extend their lead in the bottom of the third. Tehya Bird was walked before having Regan Legg replace her on base to pinch run. Kai Luschar hit a single to help Legg advance to third base. Luschar attempted to steal second base, giving Legg an opportunity to steal home while the ball was thrown away from the plate. The score gave Oregon a 2-0 lead heading into the top of the fourth.
After the shaky showing from the Ducks’ defense in the opening game of the double-header, Oregon was able to hold Cal scoreless through four innings. Scott allowed her third hit of the game during the inning, but once again was able to keep that runner stranded.
The Ducks’ offense kept plugging along, slowly but surely increasing their lead. Carlson led off the inning with a double, and advanced to third on a groundout. Emma Kauf singled to deep left field, allowing Carlson to get home. Oregon held a 3-0 lead through four innings.
“They’re a very talented team and they bring a lot of energy,” Carlson said about Cal. “It’s very easy to reciprocate that energy because they always bring it.”
The Golden Bears finally broke through the Ducks’ defense in the top of the fifth. Holly Medina hit a double deep into center field, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Tatum Anzaldo hit a single to bring home the first run of the game for Cal. Lagi Quiroga hit a single and advanced to second on the throw to put runners on second and third for the Golden Bears. Kaylee Pond hit a single of her own, bringing in one run before Oregon was able to throw out Quiroga at home, ending the inning while keeping the lead intact 3-2.
That lead that the Ducks had worked so hard to build up came crashing down in the 6th inning. Tianna Bell was walked, then a double allowed her to get all the way home to tie the game. A pair of walks from Scott loaded the bases with two outs in the 6th. That was the end of the night for Scott, who pitched 5.2 innings while allowing eight hits and three runs. She was replaced by Taylour Spencer, who ended the inning without allowing any of the runners to score, leaving the score tied at 3-3.
“I thought Morgan threw well,” Melyssa Lombardi, head coach of the team, said about Scott’s performance. “Both [Scott and Spencer], what they did collectively gave us opportunities, our defense gave opportunities.”
The bottom of the sixth saw the Oregon offense find some of the magic it had in the first part of the game. Carlson was walked, then Alyssa Daniell got on base with a single that got her to second on the throw. The Golden Bears responded with a pitching change to try and disrupt the momentum, putting Randi Roelling on the mound. KK Humphreys hit a deep shot to center field that was just a couple of feet short of a home run, resulting instead in a flyout as the Ducks ended the inning scoreless.
The pitchers dominated the seventh inning with both Spencer and Roelling recording 1-2-3 innings to send the game into extra innings.
Spencer allowed a pair of hits from Cal to start the eighth inning that put runners on second and third base. However, she was able to avoid catastrophe with a strike-out to keep the score knotted.
“It’s amazing having her out there,” Carlson said about Spencer. “She brings a lot of energy so it’s easy to feed off her and keep the momentum on our side when she’s out there.”
Paige Sinicki was walked to start extras for Oregon, then reached second on a sacrifice bunt from Luschar. Carlson almost ended the game with her second home run of the game, but it went just right of the right-field foul pole. She was struck out swinging to end the inning.
The ninth inning saw a lot of action from Cal’s offense once again. A double and a single early in the inning put runners on first and third base. The Ducks were able to throw out a runner at home, then strike-out the final batter to barely escape with the score still tied for the second straight inning.
“I just think she’s a fierce competitor,” Lombardi said about Spencer’s performance. “She’s not fearful of anything and she embraces the moment. She fought and just kept giving us opportunities to win the game.”
Daniell got on base with a single to start the bottom of the ninth. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, putting her firmly in scoring position. Vallery Wong would capitalize on that position with a walk-off single to send Daniell home, ending the game 4-3.
Spencer earned the win in the game after pitching 3.1 scoreless innings and allowing just four hits. Despite being out-hit by 12-8, Oregon was able to string together hits when it mattered and kept Cal from being able to capitalize on a string of hits in extra innings. The Ducks’ defense bent, but did not break down the stretch.
Oregon will match up with the Golden Bears one last time in the series at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 9.
