The No. 24 Oregon Ducks (21-13, 8-5 Pac-12) were able to survive a high-scoring affair to win 9-8 over the No. 9 Washington Huskies (26-6, 10-4 Pac-12). Oregon scored all nine of its runs in the first two innings, including four home runs. However, Washington would not go quietly and kept cutting away at the lead before finally being put away for good.
“Just gotta make big plays, big moments, all that against a team like this,” Vallery Wong said. “It’s a different type of fire, I guess.”
Elise Sokolsky started the game in the circle for the Ducks and wasted no time retiring the side while recording two strikeouts in the first inning.
That strong pitching allowed Oregon to be the team to strike first in the game. Kai Luschar reached second base on a fielding error, and Ariel Carlson got on with a single shortly after. Both scored on a deep double from Alyssa Daniell that got her to third on the throw.
However, the Ducks were not content with just that in the inning. Wong hit a two-run homer to extend the lead even further. Emma Kauf added to the hit total in the inning with another single, before ending the inning when she got caught stealing. Oregon went into the second inning with a 4-0 advantage.
“I thought it was good,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “I think to strike first and to extend the inning in the first inning and the second inning, and to be able to knock their starting pitcher out of the game was huge. And it was something we needed to do early in the game and not try to sit and wait until late.”
That early lead would not hold. Washington’s Kinsey Fiedler and Olivia Johnson hit a single and double back-to-back before Brooke Nelson cut the lead with a three-run homer. Sokolsky’s magic wore off in the second inning. After allowing the home run, she threw seven straight balls and took a pitch-clock expiration before being replaced by Taylour Spencer. The Huskies would add one more run in the inning on a single from Avery Hobson to tie the game at 4-4 before the bottom of the second inning.
The high-powered offense would continue into the second frame for the Ducks. Luschar hit a single to get on base, then Hanna Delgado hit just her second home run of the season to give Oregon the lead right back. Carlson, wanting to get in on the action, followed that with a solo shot for the third Duck home run in the first two innings. That finally ended the night for Washington’s Lindsay Lopez. She ended her game with seven runs and seven hits allowed in just 1.2 innings.
The pitching change would not be enough to quell the Oregon offense. Wong hit her second homer of the night, that also scored Daniell, to make the score 9-4 in favor of the Ducks.
The Huskies added one more run to their total with a solo shot from Alana Johnson, but were unable to add any more in their comeback effort leaving the score 9-5 heading into the bottom of the third. The homer was the last pitch for Spencer, who was replaced in the circle by Morgan Scott.
After a brief break from the offense, Washington got back on the board with another home run, this one coming from Nelson, marking her second homer of the game. However, that was the only damage the Huskies did to Oregon’s lead, leaving the Ducks with a 9-6 lead after the top of the fifth.
Washington kept chipping away at the lead in the sixth inning. The Huskies got a double from Rylee Holtorf, who was then brought home on a deep sac-fly. Hobson then scored on a wild pitch to put pressure on the Oregon defense. After a lengthy rain delay, Washington hit a double, then had the bases loaded on a walk. However, Scott was able to avoid disaster and end the inning with the Ducks still holding a 9-8 lead before the final frame.
“I kinda thrive in those situations,” Scott said. “I think, just knowing and trusting Coach Lombardi’s pitch calling as well as knowing myself is what really helped me in those moments.”
When it mattered most, the Oregon defense proved that although it might have bent, it would not break. Scott gave up a walk in the final inning, but was able to record a strikeout on the final batter of the night, securing the win for the Ducks.
“Today was just a really gritty win,” Delgado said. “But I think we pulled through, and this is just what we’re meant to do.”
The Oregon offense recorded 11 hits in the game with Delgado and Carlson each hitting a home run and Wong hitting two. A trend that has been an accurate measuring stick on whether or not the Ducks won so far this season is the hitting differential, and that held true again. Oregon won the hitting battle 11-9 in the game.
The Ducks and Huskies will meet again in the deciding game of the series on Sunday, Apr. 7 at 12:00 p.m.
