The No. 11 seeded Oregon softball team didn’t get off to the start it wanted at Super Regionals in Austin, Texas on Friday, dropping the opener of a three-game series 4-2.
The Ducks (42-16) now face the daunting prospect of winning two straight in a double header Saturday to qualify for the Women’s College World Series. In Friday’s all-important series opener, Oregon starter Jessica Moore lasted five innings and gave up four runs, while Texas’ Blaire Luna put together a dominant complete game, 10 strikeout performance.
Though the Ducks fought back with two runs in the final two innings, it was not enough to overcome the Longhorns’ earlier four-run outburst.
“It’s a game of inches,” Oregon head coach Mike White said to goducks.com, “and they made a couple of key plays when they needed. We had opportunities to score early, but didn’t capitalize. I was proud of the way we fought back in the sixth and seventh innings.  We were one swing away from tying the game both times.”
Neither team scored through the first three innings of play, but Texas (47-11) finally broke through in the fourth when left fielder Torie Schmidt hit an RBI groundout. The crucial break in the game arrived in the fifth inning, as a pair of two-out singles set the table for third baseman Nadia Taylor’s three-run home run. In an instant, 1-0 became 4-0.
Sophomore first baseman Kailee Cuico put Oregon on the board with a solo home run in the sixth inning, and the Ducks had the tying run at the plate before Luna struck out Liz Brenner to end the threat.
Oregon struck once more in seventh on a pair of two-out singles and a fielding error, but an unassisted groundout to first base finally ended the game.
Both Moore and Luna will likely take the circle once again as Oregon and Texas face off in game two at 2 p.m. The Ducks must win to force a deciding game three, which would be played immediately following game two at 4:30 p.m.