No. 20 Oregon softball lost its home opener 3-1 at Jane Sanders Stadium on Friday night against No. 7 Stanford.
The Ducks were coming off a 1-2 weekend against No. 10 Washington. They followed it up with a non-conference win against Seattle University.
Stevie Hansen started on the mound for Oregon. She recorded two strikeouts and allowed seven hits and a run through five innings.
Stanford started the game with a triple to left-center from Taylor Gindlesperger. She scored on a flyout, but the Ducks didn’t allow any more hits or runs in the first.
“We had some things tonight where we didn’t give ourselves an opportunity to win,” Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “At times tonight, we aided the opponent and took ourselves out of innings and I think it was costly for us.”
Oregon had a chance to score runs in the second with one out and two runners in scoring position. Tehya Bird reached on a fielder’s choice, but the Cardinal got runners out at second and third.
The Ducks tied the game in the third. After two consecutive outs, Terra McGowan walked. Allee Bunker followed it up with a double to left-center that hit the wall and scored McGowan.
Both teams were held scoreless through the next three innings.
Morgan Scott came in relief for Hansen in the sixth. She retired the Stanford batters in order, including two strikeouts.
The game reached extra innings after both teams failed to record a hit in the seventh.
The Cardinal started the eighth with a walk by Aly Kaneshiro. She was initially called out on an advancement to second in the next play. To the dismay of Ducks fans, the call was overturned.
Kanshiro advanced to third off a single and scored on an error. Stanford scored another run to give it a 3-1 cushion entering the bottom of the eighth.
The Ducks kept fighting, but couldn’t record a hit to keep them in the game.
“I just don’t think we were complete enough,” Lombardi said. “We were still in it. We were battling going to extra innings. It’s just about being complete and finishing it.”
Oregon and Stanford play in the second game of the series on Saturday at Jane Sanders Stadium. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
