No. 24 Oregon softball (11-10) ended nonconference getting swept by No. 19 Oklahoma State in Oregon’s hope-opening series.
The Ducks left runners stranded on base in all but one inning over the 14 played, stranding 10 in each game on Saturday.
Here’s how the doubleheader played out:
Game 1
The Ducks got runners on. They got them over, but they struggled to get them home.
In Oregon’s 7-6 loss to Oklahoma State in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader, the Ducks stranded 10 runners.
In the bottom of the fourth with the Ducks trailing 2-0 and runners at first and second, the Ducks did get some runners in. Walk-on Annalisa Williamson earned her first hit in a Duck uniform on a bunt that Oklahoma State pitcher Logan Simunek kicked. Four batters later, Williamson slid home to give Oregon a 3-2 lead on a two-RBI single up the middle by freshman shortstop Jasmine Sievers.
“[Williamson] came to us in the beginning of January and was going to school,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “Now here she is hitting a bomb out in the Jane.”
That lead was short-lived as just two pitches into the fifth inning, Oklahoma State evened the score at 3-3 with a crushing home run by Samantha Show that nearly cleared the left-field netting. Cheyenne Factor hit a sacrifice fly to retake the lead.
The Cowgirls hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning to a similar spot as Show’s home run, as Sydney Pennington launched a two-run home run and Raquel Dominguez hit a solo shot for a 7-3 lead.
The Ducks ended the top of the fifth inning with a highlight-reel catch by Burks as the senior tracked backward to the warning track in left field, leapt and laid out to make the diving catch.
“She’s on a roll,” Cruse said. “I’m glad that she’s finally getting her opportunity out there because she’s really proving herself this year and it’s really fun to see.”
The Ducks fought back in the bottom of the seventh inning with a Rachel Cid two-run home run to center followed by a solo home run by Williamson to center in just her eighth ever at bat. But it wasn’t enough as the Ducks fell 7-6.
In the circle, Jordan Dail (9-5) struck out eight, walked only two batters while allowing 12 hits and three home runs in a complete game performance as the sophomore transfer was handed her fifth loss.
Game 2
Freshman Kailey Krueger, who had only pitched two innings for the Ducks prior to Saturday, took the circle in the third game of the series as the Ducks looked to avoid the series sweep against the Cowgirls.
Maddie MacGrandle, who has been Oregon’s No. 2 pitcher this season was “not available,” according to Lombardi.
Krueger’s inexperience reared its head in the second inning as she threw three wild pitches and the Cowgirls dispatched six runs to take a 7-2 lead.
Krueger threw a complete game, giving up 12 hits, walking four while not striking out a single batter for any of the 21 outs.
“I love everything she’s doing,” Lombardi said. “Kailey gave us a chance to win. I thought she did a good job, mixing the ball around, getting hitters just to be a little bit earlier, a little bit late. I’m proud of her. ”
The Ducks had opened held the lead 2-1 after one inning after Haley Cruse cleared the bags in a two-RBI single.
Once again, Oregon had to attempt a comeback. The Ducks got a run in the third and then scored three runs on a two-out fourth-inning rally from a Bowden two-RBI double and a Cruse RBI single.
But Oklahoma State added back to its lead with a leadoff solo home run by Pennington to center field, just escaping Cruse’s glove to kick off the fifth inning. The Cowgirls scored two more runs in the fifth to make it 9-6.
The Ducks had the tying run at the plate three times at the end of the game, but three straight strikeouts sealed the sweep for Oklahoma State.
Oregon hits the road to open Pac-12 play next weekend for a three-game series at Arizona.
Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow
