Spring has sprung in Eugene with a stunning 64-degree day and clear skies: a beautiful day for softball no doubt. The Ducks did not play beautifully though. The pitching staff gave up eight runs, the defense committed two errors and the offense couldn’t get anything sparking after a four run third inning.

No. 18 Oregon softball (16-7) lost 8-5 against the University of Nevada Wolfpack (16-8) in its first game of day two of the Jane Sanders Classic. Oregon’s pitching staff went through three different arms before landing on Maddie Milhorn who finally stopped the bleeding of the Ducks. 

Elise Sokolsky (2.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 K) made her second start of the Jane Sanders Classic after pitching 4.1 innings in yesterday’s game against Oregon State. She retired the side to start her night but that was her only clean inning and was chased in the third inning.

Nevada scored first in the second inning following a Sokolsky error, a Talia Tretton double and a Haylee Engelbrecht rocket shot off the glove of a diving Taryn Ho. 

The Ducks strung together a pair of hits from Emma Cox and Taryn Ho to get on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Though they had multiple chances with runners on second and third, Oregon was unable to tie the game early on. 

Nevada capitalized in the third with a 3-run blast from third baseman Katelynn Wetteland whose homerun struck the light tower in left center field. That homerun chased Sokolsky, and Taylour Spencer (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K) was brought in. 

The Ducks had managed to get through the first two games of the Jane Sanders Classic by using either Sokolsky or Spencer as the starting pitcher and, when things went south, head coach Melyssa Lombardi called on Lyndsey Grein to come in to wrangle the opposition. This was not the case early on against Nevada as it appeared that head coach Lombardi wanted to save her ace as much as she could.

Amari Harper chipped away at the Pack’s ’ lead when she laced a double into left field, plating both Stefini Ma’ake and Elon Butler. Rylee McCoy, who had found her swing over the past week, crushed the first pitch of her at-bat for a 2-run, game-tying shot to left field. The Ducks knotted the score up 5-5. 

Jane Sanders Stadium, who just got its breath back courtesy of McCoy, was punched in the gut again. Spencer gave up a lead off solo shot to left field from Wolfpack center fielder Bailie Clark. Grein, who had yet to start a game this tournament, came in with the Ducks down — the third time she has appeared in a game the Ducks were losing in on the weekend. 

Grein got into a bases loaded jam and gave up a run on a two out walk. Lombardi took her out after 0.2 innings of work for Maddie Milhorn (3.1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K) who walked in another Wolfpack run before registering a strikeout to end the inning. 

Milhorn had a great performance for the Ducks out in the circle. The one run she allowed wasn’t earned, and the freshman kept Oregon in the game as she held the deficit at three. Milhorn got herself out of a small jam in the top of the seventh and it was up to the Oregon offense to get something done. 

The Ducks looked to have something going in the top of the seventh. Kaylynn Jones ripped a double and Butler walked, but it was all for not. Ma’ake grounded into a 5-3 double play, and McCoy struck out to end the Oregon hopes.

Oregon will be back later today against the Sacramento State University Hornets at 6 p.m. The game can be watched via Big Ten+ or listened to via KWVA.