Through six innings, No. 2 Oregon and No. 7 Baylor’s pitchers had done their part.
But, with the score tied at 1-1 entering the seventh inning, Oregon all-American Janie Takeda took matters into her own hands. Takeda drilled a ball over the left field fence for a three-run blast to give the Ducks a 4-1 lead and ultimately, the victory.
Oregon got the scoring started in the fourth inning when Hailey Decker drilled a ball to straight-away center for the early 1-0 lead.
Baylor responded right away, scoring in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Karissa Hovinga had been dealing to that point but after giving up a leadoff triple and a walk, she was replaced by Geri Ann Glasco. Glass got out of the jam but not before Baylor was able to get the run across the plate.
The game remained tied until the seventh, when Danica Mercado led off with a double and advanced to third on a perfect bunt by Nikki Udria. That set the stage for Takeda and her heroics.
Cheridan Hawkins got the win for the Ducks after throwing the final 2.0 innings, giving up just one hit with two strikeouts.
Oregon returns to action tomorrow in the Baylor Invitational when they face Abilene Christian at 9:45 a.m. and Tulsa at 12 p.m.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka