The Oregon Ducks defeated the Utah Utes, 7-6, on Saturday afternoon in Eugene to improve to 18-1 on the season, and 2-0 in Pac-12 play.
Despite a 50-minute rain delay, Oregon starter Samaria Diaz looked sharp in the first, sending down the Utes quietly.
Haley Cruse began the first by reaching on an error. Freshman Hanna Delgado was then hit by a pitch, setting up first and second with no one out. Later in the inning with two outs, Mya Felder came up with a clutch base hit to right field to give Oregon the early 1-0 edge.
The Utes went down quickly again in the second. The inning was highlighted by Terra McGowan throwing out a runner at second on her knees.
Later, an infield hit and two errors set up the bases loaded for the Ducks, but Utah pitcher Sydney Sandez wiggled out of trouble with no damage.
Singles by Elicia Espinosa and Haley Denning followed by a wild pitch set up second and third for Utah in the third. The next batter, Julia Noskin, appeared to reach first on an infield single, but further review showed that her foot was out of the box sending the runners back to scoring position.
Ellessa Bonstrom came up next and picked up Noskin with a two-run triple down the right field line. On the throw to third, the ball got past Felder, and Bonstrom scored. 3-1 Utah.
The Ducks got one back in the bottom of the third. Alyssa Brito led off the inning with a single, and later scored off a McGowan line-drive up the middle.
The bottom of the fourth began with an Ariel Carlson infield single. Carlson advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt before moving to third on a Cruse infield single.
With runners on first and third, Oregon executed a perfect double steal that caused Utah catcher Katie Faulk to throw down to second. On the throw, Carlson scored to tie the game at three.
Three straight Utah base hits in the fifth loaded the bases for Bonstrom. Head coach Melyssa Lombardi turned to last night’s winner, Makenna Kliethermes to get the Ducks out of the inning. Diaz finished the day with 4⅓ innings pitched and seven strikeouts.
Kliethermes got Bonstrom to strike out, but just as Oregon looked to be out of the inning, Utah’s best hitter, Madi Jacobus, stepped up with a three-run double to the right field wall. Utah took the lead, 6-3.
Back-to-back Oregon singles in the fifth caused Utah head coach Amy Hogue to turn to her lefty specialist out of the bullpen, Mariah Lopez. A sacrifice bunt by Rachel Cid moved the runners to second and third with one out.
McGowan stepped up next and reached first on an infield single. Brito scored on the play. Later in the inning, Maddie Hopper walked to set up bases loaded for Oregon’s leader, Cruse.
Cruse stepped up to the occasion with a line drive single down the left-field line to score Felder and McGowan. Oregon tied it up, 6-6. Cruse finished the day ¾ with three singles and two RBIs.
Despite a lead-off double by Halle Morris in the sixth, the Utes couldn’t capitalize. Oregon went down in order in the sixth, and Utah went down quickly in the seventh to set up a potential walk-off scenario.
Cid was the first batter in the bottom of the seventh, and she wasted no time sending a ball over the left field fence and to the tennis courts on the first pitch. With the home run, Oregon claimed the win, 7-6.
The Ducks will look to stay hot and sweep the doubleheader with Utah when the two teams face each other again, later this evening, in Eugene.
