Following a rainout on Saturday, Oregon softball beat No. 11 Utah in a doubleheader in Salt Lake City on Sunday to stay undefeated.
The Ducks improved to 29-0 and remain the only unbeaten team in the country. Here’s how it happened:
Game 1
Megan Kleist earned her 10th win of the season as Oregon dominated once again in five-inning 12-3 run-rule win to open the series against Utah.
Oregon got the scoring going in the second when Mia Camuso hit an RBI double, followed by a Jenna Lilley RBI double to score Camuso.
The Ducks’ offense continued in the third when Oregon scored four more runs thanks to a couple of unearned runs through fielding errors and an RBI single from Nikki Udria.
Utah grabbed two runs of its own in the third to cut Oregon’s lead to 6-2 but the Ducks added insurance in the fourth and fifth when three more runs were driven in during each inning.
The hosts only managed to score one run in the bottom of the fifth and Oregon run-ruled Utah.
Game 2
Oregon’s Maggie Balint was the star in the circle as the Ducks blanked the Utes 3-0 in the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday.
It was Balint’s 13th win for Oregon as the freshman continues to shine in her debut season for the Ducks.
The Ducks got the runs early when Gwen Svekis nailed a two-run blast to left-center field to give Oregon a 2-0 lead in the first inning and the Ducks added on the third run in the third inning after a fielder’s choice drove in a run.
In the bottom of the fourth, Utah gave the Ducks a scare. With two outs, Balint and Oregon got out of two-on runner jam to keep the Utes scoreless.
Balint only allowed three hits in the first four innings against the highly-ranked Utes, but surrendered four hits in the fifth; however, she struck out two and allowed no walks and no runs.
Utah’s strong defense was absent in the first game but came out in second game. The Utes held the Ducks to only three runs, which were enough for Oregon to take the win in game the second game of the three-game series.
Oregon takes on Utah in the final game of the series on Sunday at 3 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.
Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow
Ducks win doubleheader at No. 11 Utah to stay perfect
Shawn Medow
March 25, 2017
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