The No. 22 Oregon Ducks (26-16, 12-8 Pac-12) rebounded from an upset loss on Saturday to secure a series win over the Oregon State Beavers (18-25, 6-12 Pac-12) 8-3 on Senior Day. Oregon outhit Oregon State 13-7 in the game to stay firmly in the driver’s seat throughout the contest.
The Ducks began the game with senior Hanna Delgado in center field after getting injured in the series against the Arizona Wildcats. Delgado was honored as part of senior night before being subbed out for Kai Luschar before a pitch was thrown.
“I think it’s everything she deserves,” Alyssa Daniell said about Delgado. “She’s very strong, and seeing her out there and being able to do that for her senior night, it just means more than anyone could ever imagine.”
Delgado was honored before and after the game along with her fellow seniors Daniell, Raegan Breedlove, Morgan Scott, Ariel Carlson, KK Humphreys, Emma Kauf, Vallery Wong and Tehya Bird.
“It kinda just took the stress off the game,” Carlson said. “And we were all just able to have fun, be free and go out there and play and I think what happened was just a result of that.”
Oregon got the offense firing early after being shutout in its previous game. Luschar led off with a single and was immediately brought in by a two-run homer from Carlson to open the scoring. The Beavers were able to close out the inning without allowing the lead to grow any larger, making the score 2-0 after the first frame.
The second inning played out almost exactly the same. A second hit for Luschar put her in position to get her second run of the day, again on a homer from Carlson. The Ducks led 4-0 after two innings.
Daniell got in on the fun for Oregon in the third inning. She launched the first pitch of the frame for a solo-homer for the third home run of the game for the Ducks. That run put Oregon up 5-0 before Oregon State recorded its second hit.
“I knew right away,” Daniell said about the homer. “There’s sometimes where you know, and that was one of them where I knew.”
However, that run by the Ducks would not last forever. The Beavers’ offense finally came alive in the top of the fourth inning. Oregon State’s Madi Simon and Lici Campbell both singled to lead off the inning. A couple of fielder’s choices shuffled the runners on base, but a single from Charity Sevaaetasi scored Kaylee Oh who pinch-ran for Campbell to get the Beavers on the board. Oregon made its first pitching change of the game following the score. Breedlove left the circle and Elise Sokolsky took over.
“She wanted to get it done for our seniors today,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said about Sokolsky. “She was ready to get after it and get back on the mound and continue with what she was doing [yesterday].”
The offensive outburst did not end there for Oregon State. Savanah Whatley doubled to left-center, allowing two more runs to score before the Ducks were finally able to stop the bleeding. The Oregon lead was still intact, but had shrunk to just 5-3 after the top of the fourth.
The Ducks would use their chance to respond to show that they were still firmly in control. Luschar recorded her third single of the day. Then, who else but Carlson brought her home once again. This time it was on a double, giving Carlson five RBIs through the first four innings. Kauf singled put Carlson on third and in prime position to score on a ball put into play by Daniell who reached on a fielder’s choice.
Wong singled for the fourth hit of the inning for Oregon, and scored Kauf for the third run of the frame. That ended the day for Oregon State’s Ellie Garcia, who had only stepped into the circle to start the inning. Sarah Haendiges took over, and promptly loaded the bases with a walk. However, two straight outs ended the inning while avoiding disaster for the Beavers. However, the lead ballooned back up to 8-3 heading into the fifth inning.
The score would stay there for the remainder of the game. Oregon State recorded a pair of hits in the final three innings, but was unable to threaten the massive Oregon lead. Scott got in the circle to end the game for the Ducks on her senior day. She ended up throwing just a single pitch that resulted in a pop-fly to close out the win.
Oregon dominated the offensive side of the ball, recording 13 hits in just six innings. The Ducks were led by Luschar and Daniell, who went a combined 7-8 at the plate on the day while recording six of the eight Oregon runs.
“It was important for us to get the series,” Lombardi said. “Just to watch our elders be the ones to get it done was awesome today.”
The Ducks have a home matchup with the Northern Colorado Bears on Sunday, Apr. 28 at 11:00 a.m. to close out their regular season home schedule.
