The No. 20 Oregon softball team’s first-ever Super Regional appearance ended sooner than it had hoped this weekend in Columbia, Mo.
The Ducks (36-21) saw their season come to a close Sunday afternoon with their second loss to the No. 8 Missouri Tigers in as many days. Oregon fell 1-0 in the opener on Saturday, followed by a lopsided 7-2 loss the following day, sending Missouri to its second consecutive Women’s College World Series.
Following a low-scoring and highly defensive game on Saturday, Missouri came out looking to score in bunches on Sunday. The Tigers tallied two runs in the first, one in the fourth and four more in the sixth to cruise to their fifth straight postseason win.
“It was a tough game, and it came down to execution,” first-year Oregon head coach Mike White said. “Missouri made the most of their chances and capitalized on our mistakes.”
Missouri outhit the Ducks 10-8 on the game, though each team tallied 14 hits on the weekend. The difference maker, which has been the case all year for the last-ranked defensive team in the Pacific-10 Conference, was the Ducks four combined errors in two games.
Two weeks ago in Atlanta, Oregon picked up three victories with only one miscue in the field, something it wasn’t able to repeat this weekend.
“It’s a tough way to lose,” White said. “… Missouri did a great job of taking the opportunities that were given to them, and they were the better team today.”
The few questions that surrounded Tiger starter Kristin Nottelmann prior to the weekend’s opening were put to rest after the sophomore went the distance for the fourth straight game on Sunday. Nottelmann (24-7) gave up eight hits, struck out four, walked none, and one of her two runs allowed was earned.
At the plate for Oregon, five Ducks hit safely with senior Neena Bryant’s season-high three hits leading the way. Senior designated player Carlyn Re also tallied multiple hits, going 2 for 3, while freshmen Allie Burger (1 for 3, one RBI), Kaylan Howard (1 for 3), and sophomore Kelsey Chambers (1 for 3) all hit safely.
On the weekend, Re and Bryant paced the Ducks offensively with their three hits each, but ultimately the lack of run production hurt the Ducks in the end. But for the handful of seniors who saw the likes of an Oregon uniform for the final time, the hope for a comeback was never quite recognized.
“I’ve always been taught that if you have one strike left, we still have life,” Re said. “I fully believe in our team, it didn’t matter what happened, we stood behind our pitchers the entire game. We just didn’t pull this one out.”
Oregon freshman Jessica Moore pitched her 14th complete game of the year in the Ducks’ 1-0 loss on Saturday, striking out five, giving up four hits and walking none. But her luck quickly changed on Sunday, lasting just three innings with one strike out and three runs allowed. White then used his remaining pitching staff to try to calm the Missouri rally, but the Tiger bats were too much to handle.
Sophomore Ashley Fleming led the Tiger offense with three hits in three at-bats on the day, doubling twice and bringing home two. Freshman Nicole Hudson went 2 for 5 with a home run and two runs scored, while junior Lisa Simmons was a perfect 2 for 2 at the plate with one walk, also adding a home run.
Hudson’s home run sparked the Tigers’ big rally in the bottom of the sixth, but despite being down an additional four runs, Burger said the team still felt right in the thick of things.
“We don’t get down on one inning because we know we can come back,” Burger said. “That seventh inning we were still fighting, getting people on base and in scoring position. That’s just the type of team we are.”
Nottelmann was able to withstand the top of the Oregon lineup in the seventh, getting freshman right fielder Samantha Pappas to strike out looking to end the game and send Missouri on to the final round.
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