Ducks Fall to No. 7 Washington in 10-Inning Marathon

Saturday, March 23

Eugene, OR

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

11-14, 0

Washington

23-6, 0

Washington

Oregon

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

Ducks Fall to No. 7 Washington in 10-Inning Marathon

03/23/19 | Softball

Box Score Box: Washington 6, Oregon 3 (10)

By: Nate Krueger

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon softball team went toe-to-toe with No. 7 Washington on Saturday in a game that lasted 10 innings and included a two-hour, 22-minute rain delay, but the Huskies pulled out a 6-3 win in the first game of the three-game series at Jane Sanders Stadium.

Senior April Utecht gave Oregon a lead in the fifth with a two-run home run, and freshman Jasmine Sievers forced extra innings with a dramatic solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. The Ducks (11-14, 0-4 Pac-12) will look to even the series in game two on Saturday at JSS.

How it Happened: Sophomore Jordan Dail kept UW hitless through the first two innings, but the Huskies (23-6, 1-3 Pac-12) took a 1-0 lead in the third on a solo home run by Nawai Kaupe.

The Ducks stranded runners in the first and second innings and went down in order in the third and the fourth before Utecht came up big in the fifth. Sievers walked to bring Utecht to the plate with one out, and the senior turned on an 0-1 pitch for a two-run home run off the netting in left field to give Oregon a 2-1 lead.

Big-time power in a big-time moment! @april_utecht's fourth home run of the season puts Oregon up 2-1 over No. 7 Washington after five innings at #TheJane! #GoDucks

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— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) March 23, 2019

UO's lead was short lived, though, as the Huskies moved back in front in the top of the sixth on a two-run homer by Sami Reynolds. Heavy rain started to fall immediately after the long ball, sending the game into a rain delay that would last for two hours and 22 minutes.

Freshman Kailey Krueger took over in the circle for the Ducks after the delay and immediately picked up a strikeout after entering with a 2-2 count. The walk-on would retire the next two batters in order and then threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

The Ducks were down to their final two outs when Sievers stepped to the plate against UW senior Taran Alvelo. Sievers worked a 3-2 count, and the freshman sent the eighth pitch of the at-bat over the wall in right-center field for a game-tying solo home run.

CLUTCH!!!! @jassievers sends this game to extras with a HUGE solo home run! #GoDucks

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— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) March 24, 2019

Krueger continued to pitch well in relief, working around baserunners in the eighth and ninth innings to give Oregon a chance to win it. But the Ducks were set down in order in the eighth and couldn't take advantage of a Haley Cruse single in the ninth.

Washington eventually broke through in the 10th, hitting its third home run of the day to take a 6-3 lead, and Alvelo retired the side in order in the bottom half to end the game.

At the Plate: Utecht moved into a tie for the team lead in home runs (4) and RBIs (16), and Sievers blasted her second home run. Cruse and Rachel Cid both singled to account for Oregon's other two hits.

In the Circle: Krueger (0-3) took the loss despite a really impressive outing in relief against the No. 7 ranked team in the nation. The West Linn, Ore., native allowed just two hits with two strikeouts in five innings of relief, including four scoreless frames. Dail also pitched well before the delay, going five-plus innings while allowing only the two home runs with five strikeouts.

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series is set for 4 p.m. PT on Sunday at Jane Sanders Stadium (Pac-12 Network).