Opportunity.
As No. 3 in the nation, Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi emphasized the value of opportunity against the No. 2 team UCLA.
“When we have opportunities, you’ve got to take care of your business,” Lombardi said. “Against a team like that, you’re not going to have opportunities over and over. When you do get it, you’ve got to cash in. You’ve got to do something with it.”
UCLA avoided a split series against the Ducks in Jane Sanders Stadium on Sunday, winning the series finale, 6-2.
Before Sunday afternoon’s game, No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 Oregon were tied in the conference standings. Sunday was Oregon’s last chance of the season to tie with the Bruins in the regular season. Unfortunately for the Ducks, they will have to rely on a potential postseason matchup to seek their revenge.
UCLA looked to strike early once again after hot starts from Aaliyah Jordan and Rachel Garcia the past two meetings. Fortunately, Oregon’s Brooke Yanez learned from her early mistakes and struck out both players in their first at-bats.
In the bottom of the first inning, Oregon made its first mark on the scoreboard. Junior Allee Bunker continued her stellar offense from the past three games with a blast solo homer, her eighth long bomb of the season and third of the series. This marked the Ducks’ first lead at 1-0.
Yanez continued her strong play on the mound with another 1-2-3 inning, striking out Delanie Wisz and Maya Brady.
In the bottom of the second inning, Oregon’s Mya Felder hit a double to right field and Lexi Wagner walked to first after a UCLA pitching clock violation. Pitcher Megan Faraimo then struck out Rachel Cid, leaving Felder and Wagner stranded.
Garcia stepped onto the mound for the first time on Sunday for the Bruins. Garcia, an All-American with a 0.42 ERA on the season, threw a shutout against Oregon in game two of the series on Saturday. She found herself in trouble early when Haley Cruse hit a missile solo shot and the Ducks doubled their lead 2-0.
After another 1-2-3 inning for Yanez in the fourth, the Ducks came up empty at the plate but still held onto their 2-0 lead heading into the fifth.
Yanez started to fall out of the zone after Brady’s pop out to third and Alyssa Garcia’s fly out to center. The Bruins had their first hit of the day with Kinsley Washington’s RBI single to right field, and Oregon’s lead was cut 2-1.
Through three innings so far for Garcia, she only allowed one hit and threw four strikeouts. She continued her impact after she smashed a two-run hit to left-center, giving UCLA its first lead of the day, 3-2.
After Garcia’s homer, Yanez recorded two more strikeouts for three straight outs. Garcia’s domination continued as she retired three straight batters after walking two. UCLA escaped any Oregon attempts at a comeback and kept its lead heading into the final frame.
UCLA forced a pitching change for Oregon after Briana Perez’s three-run homer. UCLA added three more runs, extending its largest lead 6-2. A handful of fans at Jane Sanders Stadium started making their way toward the exit before Oregon’s last chance for a comeback. The Ducks came up empty in their last at-bats and fell to the Bruins for a third straight game.
As Lombardi preaches the importance of opportunity, the Ducks have to capitalize on every game from here until the postseason if they want to be crowned the conference champion.
“We walk away not happy with how we finished this weekend, but I walk away knowing that this team is going to figure it out,” Lombardi said. “This weekend right here is going to make us 10 times better.”
Up next for the Ducks is an away series in Washington against the Huskies starting on Friday at 5 p.m. PT.
Follow Carly on Twitter @carlyebisuya.
