The Oregon softball team (34-3, 8-1 Big Ten) hosted the Michigan Wolverines (27-11, 6-3 Big Ten) for the first game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon. The Ducks wasted no time getting their offense going in the first inning. They were quiet for the rest of the game until the very end when it mattered most.
On the mound, Staci Chambers opened the game and pitched the first two innings. She allowed three earned runs on three hits with one walk and one strikeout. Elise Sokolsky pitched the remaining five innings and allowed no runs, two hits and three walks while recording six strikeouts.
The game opened with a Michigan single, but the runner attempted to steal second base when the next batter hit a popup, and the throw beat her back to first for a double play. A strikeout for the following hitter ended the inning with no damage done.
The bottom of the first opened with a walk to Kai Luschar followed by Paige Sinicki being hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced on a double steal. Luschar scored on a sac-fly from Katie Flannery and then a single from Kendre Luschar knocked in Sinicki to make it 2-0 Ducks at the end of one.
Michigan’s offense got going in the second starting with a leadoff single. Then, a two-out walk followed by a double tied the game at two. Oregon’s offense blanked in the second. In the third, a single followed by a home run off the right field scoreboard gave the Wolverines a 4-2 lead. The score remained the same until the seventh inning.
With the Ducks down to their final three outs, Braiesey Rosa was hit by a pitch to lead things off. She was pinch run for by Elyse Kresho. That was followed by a Kaylynn Jones single before Kai Luschar was also hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.
Kresho scored on an RBI-groundout from Sinicki followed by a walk to Rilee McCoy to load the bases again before Jones came home to tie the game on a wild pitch. With runners on second and third and two outs, Kendre Luschar walked it off with a base hit to give the Ducks a 5-4 win.
The Ducks and the Wolverines will play one more game on Saturday night as Oregon hunts a sweep.
