Friday, February 8
Tempe, AZ
4:30 PM
University of Oregon
2-0
12
vs
5
CSUN
0-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Oregon
0
0
3
9
0
0
0
12
13
0
CSUN
2
0
3
0
0
0
0
5
7
3
Nine-Run Fourth Lifts Ducks to 2-0
02/08/19 | Softball
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Oregon softball team used a nine-run fourth inning to defeat CSUN, 12-5, and secure its second win of the day in the Kajikawa Classic on Friday night at the Tempe Sports Complex.
After erupting for 14 runs on 13 hits in their season-opening win over Kansas earlier in the day, the No. 25 Ducks racked up 12 runs on 11 hits against the Matadors (0-2) to get off to a 2-0 start under new coach Melyssa Lombardi.
"I can't say enough about how proud I am of this team," said Lombardi. "They fought today in both games; in both games our opponents put numbers on the board and we answered immediately, and I really like that.
"Both wins were total team wins today. Every single person had something to do with both wins, and that was really great to see."
How it Happened: CSUN used a pair of two-out RBI hits in the first inning to jump out to a 2-0 lead, but the Ducks responded with three in the third to move ahead. Shaye Bowden (below) got Oregon on the board with an RBI single, and Oregon took advantage of some control issues by CSUN's Jillian James to score two more on a pair of bases-loaded walks by Hannah Galey and Lexi Wagner.
After the Matadors came back in the bottom half of the third with three runs to retake the lead, the Ducks exploded for nine runs on six hits to take a commanding 12-5 lead.
Haley Cruse started the nine-run fourth with a sharp single up the middle, and then scored on a two-run home run by freshman Rachel Cid that tied the game, 5-5. A single by Cherish Burks and a CSUN error allowed a run to score to give UO the lead, and Wagner followed with a two-run single to left field. Another CSUN error allowed Oregon's sixth run of the frame to cross the plate, and Cruse ripped a two-run triple in her second at-bat of the inning. Freshman Allee Bunker scored Cruse from third with a sacrifice fly to cap the monster inning that saw 13 batters come to the plate.
The Ducks scattered four hits over the rest of the night, but sophomore Jordan Dail (below) took care of the rest in the circle with four scoreless innings of relief. The left-hander was aided in the fifth by a tremendous home run-robbing catch in center by Cruse, highlighting another strong defensive effort for Oregon.
At the Plate: Bowden was a perfect 4-for-4 to lead the offensive attack, Wagner led the team with three RBIs while going 2-for-4, and both Cruse and Cid drove in a pair of runs. Cruse and Burks both finished with two hits apiece, seven total Ducks recorded a hit and all nine starters scored at least one run. Cid's home run was her second of the day after blasting a three-run shot against Kansas.
In the Circle: Maddie MacGrandle made her first start as a Duck and allowed five runs with two strikeouts over three innings before giving way to Dail, who earned her second win of the day while striking out four while allowing only one hit.
What it Means: The Ducks combined to score 29 runs on opening day, using a balanced offensive attack in both games. Lombardi stressed the importance of "settling in" on the first day, and Oregon's freshmen and newcomers looked comfortable from the get-go in an impressive first outing for the new era of Oregon softball.
Quotable: Melyssa Lombardi
On the freshmen…
"With the freshmen, watching them and the success they had today, I'm confident with this group going into this season and I know that they're going to do great things. I was just excited to see them settle in today. There's always jitters, especially with freshmen, and they really didn't look like freshmen today, they looked like upperclassmen on the first day of the season."
On Dail…
"Jordan has been working really hard. I keep saying they've been working really hard, but she really, really has. She's spent a lot of time in the pen trying to figure some things out, and you could see against Kansas that the longer she went, she really settled in. She had one rough inning - and that's okay, that'll happen - but then coming into CSUN she was confident, she knew exactly what she wanted to do and she handled great."
Up Next: The Ducks will be back in action for two more games on Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. PT against Missouri. Oregon will also face Bradley at 4 p.m. PT.
After erupting for 14 runs on 13 hits in their season-opening win over Kansas earlier in the day, the No. 25 Ducks racked up 12 runs on 11 hits against the Matadors (0-2) to get off to a 2-0 start under new coach Melyssa Lombardi.
"I can't say enough about how proud I am of this team," said Lombardi. "They fought today in both games; in both games our opponents put numbers on the board and we answered immediately, and I really like that.
"Both wins were total team wins today. Every single person had something to do with both wins, and that was really great to see."
How it Happened: CSUN used a pair of two-out RBI hits in the first inning to jump out to a 2-0 lead, but the Ducks responded with three in the third to move ahead. Shaye Bowden (below) got Oregon on the board with an RBI single, and Oregon took advantage of some control issues by CSUN's Jillian James to score two more on a pair of bases-loaded walks by Hannah Galey and Lexi Wagner.
After the Matadors came back in the bottom half of the third with three runs to retake the lead, the Ducks exploded for nine runs on six hits to take a commanding 12-5 lead.
Haley Cruse started the nine-run fourth with a sharp single up the middle, and then scored on a two-run home run by freshman Rachel Cid that tied the game, 5-5. A single by Cherish Burks and a CSUN error allowed a run to score to give UO the lead, and Wagner followed with a two-run single to left field. Another CSUN error allowed Oregon's sixth run of the frame to cross the plate, and Cruse ripped a two-run triple in her second at-bat of the inning. Freshman Allee Bunker scored Cruse from third with a sacrifice fly to cap the monster inning that saw 13 batters come to the plate.
The Ducks scattered four hits over the rest of the night, but sophomore Jordan Dail (below) took care of the rest in the circle with four scoreless innings of relief. The left-hander was aided in the fifth by a tremendous home run-robbing catch in center by Cruse, highlighting another strong defensive effort for Oregon.
At the Plate: Bowden was a perfect 4-for-4 to lead the offensive attack, Wagner led the team with three RBIs while going 2-for-4, and both Cruse and Cid drove in a pair of runs. Cruse and Burks both finished with two hits apiece, seven total Ducks recorded a hit and all nine starters scored at least one run. Cid's home run was her second of the day after blasting a three-run shot against Kansas.
In the Circle: Maddie MacGrandle made her first start as a Duck and allowed five runs with two strikeouts over three innings before giving way to Dail, who earned her second win of the day while striking out four while allowing only one hit.
What it Means: The Ducks combined to score 29 runs on opening day, using a balanced offensive attack in both games. Lombardi stressed the importance of "settling in" on the first day, and Oregon's freshmen and newcomers looked comfortable from the get-go in an impressive first outing for the new era of Oregon softball.
Quotable: Melyssa Lombardi
On the freshmen…
"With the freshmen, watching them and the success they had today, I'm confident with this group going into this season and I know that they're going to do great things. I was just excited to see them settle in today. There's always jitters, especially with freshmen, and they really didn't look like freshmen today, they looked like upperclassmen on the first day of the season."
On Dail…
"Jordan has been working really hard. I keep saying they've been working really hard, but she really, really has. She's spent a lot of time in the pen trying to figure some things out, and you could see against Kansas that the longer she went, she really settled in. She had one rough inning - and that's okay, that'll happen - but then coming into CSUN she was confident, she knew exactly what she wanted to do and she handled great."
Up Next: The Ducks will be back in action for two more games on Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. PT against Missouri. Oregon will also face Bradley at 4 p.m. PT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dail, Jordan (2-0)
L: James, Jillian (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Bowden, Shaye 1
3B: Cruse, Haley 1
HR: Cid, Rachel 1
RBI: Cruse, Haley 2 ; Bunker, Allee 1 ; Cid, Rachel 2 ; Bowden, Shaye 1 ; Galey, Hannah 1 ; Wagner, Lexi 3
SF: Bunker, Allee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cruse, Haley 1 ; Bunker, Allee 2 ; Cid, Rachel 1 ; Utecht, April 1 ; Mills, Anna 1 ; Bowden, Shaye 2 ; Burks, Cherish 1 ; Galey, Hannah 1 ; Wagner, Lexi 1 ; Cook, Bailey 1
SB: Bunker, Allee 1
CS: Bowden, Shaye 1
HBP: Burks, Cherish 1
Batting:
2B: Stevens, Megan 1
HR: Crockett-Pope,Kiarra 1
RBI: Stevens, Megan 2 ; Crockett-Pope,Kiarra 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Babbitt, Mackenzie 1 ; Alexander, Jessica 1 ; Stevens, Megan 2 ; Crockett-Pope,Kiarra 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
4
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
UT
/ Softball
UT
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball
UT
/ SoftballOF
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