Oregon, fresh off of its first Super Regional appearance under head coach Melyssa Lombardi, started off its fall pre-season campaign with a commanding 38-1, no-hit win over the Corban Warriors.
Stevie Hansen continued her dominant collegiate career with three and two-thirds hitless innings. Hansen struck out six and allowed only one baserunner.
The Ducks’ pitching staff was dominant throughout the entire game. Hansen was relieved by senior Raegan Breedlove, Elise Sokolsky and freshman Taylour Spencer each of whom tossed hitless innings.
Spencer looked especially dominant in her first appearance as a Duck. “She’s going to be an impact player for us,” Lombardi said. “I think you’re going to see all these freshmen, there’s a lot of impact players coming in.”
The Ducks’ offense looked to be in mid-season form. By having a patient approach, and consistently putting the ball in play, Oregon tallied 26 hits on the day.
Highlighted by Paige Sinicki’s slick fielding, the Ducks’ defense was outstanding throughout the entirety of the game.
Given the score, Oregon’s freshmen were given considerable playing time on Sunday. “I think they did a good job,” Lombardi said. “Once we got started, you could see what this group is capable of doing.”
In contrast, Corban was no contest for Oregon. With two errors, the Warriors were sloppy all game long. Oregon was equally as aggressive and often took extra bases. The Warriors looked apathetic.
“Even the young ones, you could see them taking extra bases,” Lombardi said. “I thought we ran really well.”
The Ducks flashed a dangerous blend of speed and power that Lombardi should be able to take advantage of throughout the season.
“You can see how fast Ayana [Shaw] is,” Lombardi said. “Regan Legg flies.”
With its roster blended of faces new and old, Oregon controlled the matchup from start to finish.
Looking to fill the shoes of the irreplaceable former Oregon catcher Terra McGowan, Vallery Wong looked the part, driving in two runs and playing stout defense behind the plate.
Returning seniors Tehya Bird and KK Humphreys both blasted homeruns as Oregon was able to empty its bench early. Freshmen Katie Flannery, Regan Legg and Braiesey Rosa each tallied their first hits as Ducks.
Freshman Ayanna Shaw had two RBI’s. Georgia Tech transfer Emma Kauf added two hits in her Ducks debut.
The Warriors’ lone run came in the 8th inning, in which a runner began the inning on first base in order to give the team a chance to practice situational hitting.
Oregon no-hit the Warriors, and the box score says it all. The Ducks were beyond dominant.
Oregon will look to continue its strong play next Saturday at home against tougher opponents: Boise State and Western Washington.
“We think about being two games short last year,” Lombardi said. “What’s it going to take for us to not be two games short?”
