The No. 20 Oregon Ducks (23-13) took down the Grand Canyon University Antelopes (33-9) with a 9-4 win to start their Arizona road trip. Alyssa Daniell led an impressive offensive performance for Oregon where she hit two home runs. Grand Canyon was unable to keep up and quickly fell behind.
The Ducks wasted no time in jumping out to a massive lead. Kai Luschar hit a single, then stole second to get into scoring position. Luschar advanced to third base on a single from Hanna Delgado, then got home on a wild pitch to open the scoring in the game. However, Oregon would quickly add to that total on a two-run homer from Ariel Carlson. Daniell hit a homer of her own to make the score 4-0 in favor of the Ducks before the Antelopes were able to record a single out.
Oregon’s hot start forced a very early pitching change from GCU. Hailey Hudson entered the circle, and promptly retired the next three batters to keep the deficit from growing.
The Ducks’ Elise Sokolsky started the game much better on the other side. Through the first three innings of the game, Sokolsky did not allow a hit to help Oregon maintain its lead.
However, on the other side Hudson was finding a lot of success in her time in the circle. She allowed just one hit from the Ducks in the next three innings to keep the lead from getting out of hand.
The Antelopes were able to get on the board for the first time in the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kristin Fifield was walked early in the inning, and Mikaeya Gomez got on base on a fielder’s choice. Both were able to get home later in the inning when Kayla Rodgers doubled to right-center. However, those were the only runs in the inning for GCU, and Oregon still led 4-2 heading into the fifth inning.
Luschar struck again for the Ducks, hitting a single then stealing second base for the second time in the game. A pair of groundouts from Delgado and Carlson were enough to get Luschar home to give Oregon a 5-2 advantage.
Morgan Scott, who entered the game after Sokolsky allowed a pair of runs, shut down the Antelopes in the next two innings. She only allowed just one hit, putting the Ducks firmly in the driver’s seat entering the final inning.
If there was any doubt remaining in the outcome, Oregon sought to remove it immediately. Paige Sinicki, who pinch ran for Tehya Bird after she singled, stole second and was able to get to third on a throwing error. Luschar got on base on a throwing error and Sinicki was able to get home. Delgado hit a single which put two runners on base for Daniell to bring home with her second homer of the game, this one a three-run home run. That put the finishing touches on the Ducks’ performance.
The Antelopes made a final push in the bottom of the seventh inning. Rodgers hit a single, then Tinley Lucas hit a homer to cut the lead by a few runs. However, it was too little too late and Oregon earned a 9-4 win.
The Ducks will continue their road trip when they take on the Arizona Wildcats. The first game of the series is Friday, Apr. 12 at 5:00 p.m.
