Oregon softball lost a critical game against Utah 4-3 in Salt Lake City. The Ducks’ final road trip of the season got off to a poor start Friday night as their season record fell to 21-26 overall and 4-15 in the Pac-12 on the season. The Utes improved to 16-32 on the season.

The Ducks need all the help they can get if they want to make the postseason after last weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Beavers. To become eligible, the team needs to turn its last few games into victories. This game and the rest of the series are vitally important as both the Utes and Ducks entered Friday with the same 4-14 record in conference play.

Although the Ducks lost, the team had strong individual performances. Allee Bunker had two hits and added a run in the losing effort. April Utecht had 2 hits and contributed two RBIs to the team. Shaye Bowden and Rachel Cid also earned two hits. In the pitching duel, Utah’s Sydney Sanchez defeated Oregon’s Jordan Dail.

Oregon also led Utah in hits by a margin of 10-7 and did not commit a single error in the game. The Ducks also beat Utah in stolen bases 3-2. The Ducks hope that these positive statistics might lead them to wins in the following two games of the series.

Oregon will continue its series against Utah Saturday and Sunday.