The curse of the college softball nonconference slate is that it’s a weeks-long slog from city to city. From hotel rooms and random stadiums, opposing scouting reports bleed into one another in what can create an unrecognizable blur as games mount on top of each other.
The gift of that schedule are the tests, the moments of competition when a team can take an honest look at what it is and what it isn’t against worthy opposition.
Thursday afternoon, in Oregon’s (12-1) breathless 1-0 win over Tennessee (10-2), the Ducks were given a gift.
Playing a No. 6 ranked Lady Vols’ team that showed the skill, pitching and athleticism of the best in the country, the Ducks got a chance to fight a team above them in the rankings. It was a fight they eventually won, with Kedre Luschar scoring the game’s lone run on a passed ball.
The ensuing contest between Big Ten and SEC teams was more slowtime than showtime, but some small ball and Luschar’s timely running helped get the win.
Before Oregon’s contingent of fans cheered after the team’s 2-0 showing at the Mary Nutter Classic, Oregon had plenty of chances to finally break through.
With her team up in the bottom of the sixth, Dez Patmon added her team’s first hit of the day and stole a pair of bases. Patmon was on third with no one out, but a pop-out followed by a pair of strikeouts ended the threat.
The story of the game for Oregon was once again Lydnsey Grein who lowered her microscopic ERA to 1.16 and fired 3.1 innings of scoreless ball out of the bullpen.
In the circle, Grein and Oregon avoided its first bit of trouble in the fifth when the right-hander recorded a clutch strikeout with the bases loaded and two outs. More tightroping out of danger was necessary in the sixth when Tennessee’s Laura Mealer walked and stole second. But, once again, Grein was nails, retiring the next pair of batters with Mealer on second.
Karlyn Pickens was the primary protagonist for the Lady Vols, firing 7.1 innings of one-hit ball. She struck out 12 Ducks who really had no chance throughout. Pickens allowed just five baserunners on the day, the lone run scored was an automatic runner.
More clutch pitching was needed for Oregon in the bottom of the eighth as Grein retired the ensuing three batters that came up with the automatic runner placed on second.
Finally, after Patmon and Katie Flannery were intentionally walked, Luschar scored on the passed ball, securing one of Oregon’s biggest wins in years.
After enjoying a signature win over a nationally lauded team, Oregon will enjoy the rest of its evening before taking on Utah Friday at 10:30 a.m.
