Cruse's Frantic Dash Gives Ducks Sweep

Tuesday, April 23

Eugene, OR

4:00 PM

University of Oregon

20-22

Portland State

16-25

Portland State

Oregon

04/23/19 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 G1 - Oregon 5, PSU 3 G2 - Oregon 9, PSU 8 SB Combined (4-23)

Shaye Bowden homered in each game and Haley Cruse capped a six-run rally in the nightcap with an inside-the-park home run to give Oregon two wins Tuesday.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — Shaye Bowden homered in each game and Haley Cruse raced around the bases at Jane Sanders Stadium with a three-run, go-ahead inside-the-park home run Tuesday as the Oregon softball team completed a doubleheader sweep of Portland State.

The Ducks (21-22) rallied from behind in both games, with Bowden's three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning answering a two-run first by the Viks in the opener. In the night cap, Portland State jumped out to an 8-2 lead before the Ducks came all the way back, with Cruse's home run capping a six-run fifth inning.

"We were just grinding; we know we're good enough on offense," Bowden said. "It looked like we were gonna lose that game but I just knew we were going to find a way to pull it out"

DUCKS TAKE THE LEAD ON A THREE-RUN INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN BY HALEY CRUSE!!!!#GoDucks | @haley_crusee pic.twitter.com/ENAybxVKaG
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) April 24, 2019

Game 1: Oregon 5, Portland State 3
The Ducks fell behind quickly in the opener, with Portland State going ahead on an RBI single and a wild pitch that brought home a run. In the bottom of the inning, Allee Bunker singled and Jasmine Sievers worked a one-out walk before Bowden blasted her fifth home run of the season, putting Oregon up 3-2.

The Viks (16-26) tied the game on a leadoff homer in the second, but UO starter Jordan Dail buckled down from there. She threw seven complete innings while allowing three runs on 10 hits, with seven strikeouts and two walks.

As they had in the first inning, the Ducks backed their pitcher in the second. Cruse laced a two-out single up the middle to score Hannah Galey, and Oregon led 4-3. The Ducks added some insurance in the fourth when Sievers doubled to score Lexi Wagner.

Game 2: Oregon 9, Portland State 8
A game that seemed out of reach when the Ducks turned to two position players in the circle ended up being a comeback for the ages. Two innings after Cruse, an outfielder, was pressed into pitching duty for the second time this season, she raced around the bases with what proved to be the game-winning run on her inside-the-park shot.

The Ducks fell behind again, this time 5-1 in the second, when third baseman Rachel Cid was pressed into duty in the circle. Cid pitched a clean inning in the third, and Bowden began Oregon's effort to claw back with her sixth home run.

"Chip away each inning, that was our mentality," Bowden said.

The Viks added three more in the fourth, with Cid allowing two singles before giving way to Cruse. But for the third time in the game, Oregon came through with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, as Cruse singled in April Utecht to make it 8-3.

That set the stage for the dramatic bottom of the fifth. After freshman walk-on Kailey Krueger threw a 1-2-3 top of the inning, Sievers led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and found herself on third with one out. Cid knocked her in with a single, and Cherish Burks followed with a two-run home run to get Oregon within 8-6.

Big-time blast from @Cherishhhhhhh_! Her third of the season.

Ducks now down just two and looking for more in B5. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/B9YcVXfExD
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) April 24, 2019

Walks by Utecht and Wagner brought Cruse to the plate with two on and two out. She lofted a long fly ball to left field that hit high off the wall and caromed back toward the infield, allowing Cruse to race around the bases with the go-ahead run.

"As I was turning third I was looking at coach Lombardi going, 'Are we gonna do it?' " Cruse said. "She gave the sign and we just sent and it worked out."

Dail, who had started the game, returned and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth. The Viks got two on with two out in the seventh, but Dail got the third out to clinch the game and the doubleheader sweep.

Notable: Krueger's clean inning in the second game made her the winning pitcher, her first collegiate victory. … Cruse, Bunker and Bowden each had two hits in both games. … Bowden's sixth home run put her two off the team lead shared by Utecht and Cid. ... The bottom of the second in game two was delayed for about 20 minutes when the stadium lights turned off and had to warm back up.

Up Next: The Ducks remain at The Jane to wrap up their eight-game homestand with a three-game series against Oregon State beginning Friday (2:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network).