Saturday, April 22
Eugene, OR
4:00 PM
University of Oregon
30-11, 0
8
vs
3
Arizona
25-20, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Arizona
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
3
5
0
Oregon
0
0
4
0
3
1
X
8
11
0
Photo by: Molly McPherson
Win Streak Now Eight For Softball
04/22/23 | Softball
Oregon stayed hot Saturday and will look to complete a series sweep of Arizona at home Sunday.
EUGENE, Ore. — There were blue skies for Oregon softball on Saturday afternoon, literally and figuratively.
On the field, the No. 17 Ducks kept the good times rolling with their season-high eighth straight win, an 8-3 victory over Arizona. And a beautiful spring day in Eugene brought a season-high crowd of 2,163 to Jane Sanders Stadium. With eight games left in the regular season including four at home, the Ducks hope to see both trends — strong play and great crowds — continue.
"Today we got to get a feel of what postseason would feel like here, and that's what these guys have been working hard for all year — the opportunity to host," UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. "So we hope our fans are loving what we're doing and that they want to keep coming out, because homefield advantage is a big thing. Especially in the Pac it's a really, really big thing, and obviously in postseason."
Hanna Delgado, Kai Luschar, Terra McGowan and Ariel Carlson each had two hits Saturday, and the Ducks got back-to-back homers from Carlson and Tehya Bird. Stevie Hansen (17-4) started and pitched into the fifth inning, handing the ball to Raegan Breedlove before Morgan Scott got the last three outs. Luschar enjoyed her fifth multi-hit game during Oregon's current winning streak — which began April 3, the day after Luschar made her first start of the season after rehabbing a hand injury.
"I feel like our energy has all just lifted and we're all getting hot right now," said Luschar, who is 16-for-28 at the plate this spring. "I don't know if I specifically contribute to that. But yeah, overall, I just feel like our team is just elevating right now."
How It Happened: The Ducks had three batters reach in the bottom of the first but didn't score. But after Hansen pitched a 1-2-3 third inning, Oregon's offense gave her all the support she'd end up needing. With one out in the bottom of the third, Delgado and Luschar singled, and Allee Bunker plated Delgado with an RBI single. McGowan followed with a two-run double, and three batters later Carlson singled in McGowan for a 4-0 lead.
The Ducks stranded two more runners in the fourth, and Arizona broke through in the top of the fifth. With two outs, a walk and a double made it 4-1 and brought Breedlove in from the bullpen. A hit batter and a two-run double got the Wildcats within 4-3 before Oregon got out of the inning.
It wasn't a one-run game for long. KK Humphreys walked with one out in the bottom of the fifth, then stole second. Carlson then lofted a soaring fly ball to the opposite field, and initially it wasn't clear whether it would have enough to clear the right-field fence.
"I wasn't sure, honestly, off the bat," Carlson said. "I knew I barreled it up, but I knew I was also under it. So, happy it did."
Carlson's fourth homer of the season made it 6-3, and after a pitching change Bird demolished a ball to left field for her fifth homer. In the sixth, McGowan doubled with one out and Lombardi called upon pinch hitter Katelyn Howard, who was summoned in Friday night's game with a chance to finish a walk-off win in the fifth, but lined a hot shot with the bases loaded right at the left fielder. On Saturday, Howard hit another laser, this time to the gap in left-center to score McGowan with the final run of the game.
"She's hitting the ball hard, and sometimes you can hit the ball hard and right at people, and there's not a whole lot that you can do," Lombardi said. "So I think for her to get another opportunity today, she was pretty excited."
Scott, who threw a six-inning shutout Friday, came on to pitch the seventh Saturday and allowed a leadoff single but retired the next three in order to close out the UO win.
Notable: Oregon's win streak is the program's longest since the Ducks won 11 straight in nonconference play last spring. … Delgado extended her hitting streak to eight games. … Humphreys leads the team with 18 walks and 13 stolen bases on the season.
Quotable:
Head coach Melyssa Lombardi on Oregon's three-run fifth inning, after allowing three in the top half
"I think these guys have been doing that all year. I think even previous years, it's something that we've been known for, that when somebody scores we're really good at answering back. So to see them put three on the board in the fifth and then for us to come right back and get three was a great response."
Head coach Melyssa Lombardi on the impact of Delgado and Luschar at the top of the order
"They're just kind of a deadly duo right now. I love how they're feeding off of each other and they're setting the table for Bunk and Terra, Alyssa, KK, Ariel, those guys to come up and drive them in. I just really like how our team throughout the lineup is working together."
Up Next: The Ducks and Wildcats will play the series finale Sunday (noon, Pac-12 Networks).
On the field, the No. 17 Ducks kept the good times rolling with their season-high eighth straight win, an 8-3 victory over Arizona. And a beautiful spring day in Eugene brought a season-high crowd of 2,163 to Jane Sanders Stadium. With eight games left in the regular season including four at home, the Ducks hope to see both trends — strong play and great crowds — continue.
"Today we got to get a feel of what postseason would feel like here, and that's what these guys have been working hard for all year — the opportunity to host," UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. "So we hope our fans are loving what we're doing and that they want to keep coming out, because homefield advantage is a big thing. Especially in the Pac it's a really, really big thing, and obviously in postseason."
Hanna Delgado, Kai Luschar, Terra McGowan and Ariel Carlson each had two hits Saturday, and the Ducks got back-to-back homers from Carlson and Tehya Bird. Stevie Hansen (17-4) started and pitched into the fifth inning, handing the ball to Raegan Breedlove before Morgan Scott got the last three outs. Luschar enjoyed her fifth multi-hit game during Oregon's current winning streak — which began April 3, the day after Luschar made her first start of the season after rehabbing a hand injury.
"I feel like our energy has all just lifted and we're all getting hot right now," said Luschar, who is 16-for-28 at the plate this spring. "I don't know if I specifically contribute to that. But yeah, overall, I just feel like our team is just elevating right now."
How It Happened: The Ducks had three batters reach in the bottom of the first but didn't score. But after Hansen pitched a 1-2-3 third inning, Oregon's offense gave her all the support she'd end up needing. With one out in the bottom of the third, Delgado and Luschar singled, and Allee Bunker plated Delgado with an RBI single. McGowan followed with a two-run double, and three batters later Carlson singled in McGowan for a 4-0 lead.
The Ducks stranded two more runners in the fourth, and Arizona broke through in the top of the fifth. With two outs, a walk and a double made it 4-1 and brought Breedlove in from the bullpen. A hit batter and a two-run double got the Wildcats within 4-3 before Oregon got out of the inning.
It wasn't a one-run game for long. KK Humphreys walked with one out in the bottom of the fifth, then stole second. Carlson then lofted a soaring fly ball to the opposite field, and initially it wasn't clear whether it would have enough to clear the right-field fence.
"I wasn't sure, honestly, off the bat," Carlson said. "I knew I barreled it up, but I knew I was also under it. So, happy it did."
Carlson's fourth homer of the season made it 6-3, and after a pitching change Bird demolished a ball to left field for her fifth homer. In the sixth, McGowan doubled with one out and Lombardi called upon pinch hitter Katelyn Howard, who was summoned in Friday night's game with a chance to finish a walk-off win in the fifth, but lined a hot shot with the bases loaded right at the left fielder. On Saturday, Howard hit another laser, this time to the gap in left-center to score McGowan with the final run of the game.
"She's hitting the ball hard, and sometimes you can hit the ball hard and right at people, and there's not a whole lot that you can do," Lombardi said. "So I think for her to get another opportunity today, she was pretty excited."
Scott, who threw a six-inning shutout Friday, came on to pitch the seventh Saturday and allowed a leadoff single but retired the next three in order to close out the UO win.
Notable: Oregon's win streak is the program's longest since the Ducks won 11 straight in nonconference play last spring. … Delgado extended her hitting streak to eight games. … Humphreys leads the team with 18 walks and 13 stolen bases on the season.
Quotable:
Head coach Melyssa Lombardi on Oregon's three-run fifth inning, after allowing three in the top half
"I think these guys have been doing that all year. I think even previous years, it's something that we've been known for, that when somebody scores we're really good at answering back. So to see them put three on the board in the fifth and then for us to come right back and get three was a great response."
Head coach Melyssa Lombardi on the impact of Delgado and Luschar at the top of the order
"They're just kind of a deadly duo right now. I love how they're feeding off of each other and they're setting the table for Bunk and Terra, Alyssa, KK, Ariel, those guys to come up and drive them in. I just really like how our team throughout the lineup is working together."
Up Next: The Ducks and Wildcats will play the series finale Sunday (noon, Pac-12 Networks).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hansen, Stevie (17-4)
L: Blanchard, Ali (6-2)
Batting:
2B: Biringer, Blaise 1 ; DiNardo, Olivia 1
RBI: Biringer, Blaise 1 ; DiNardo, Olivia 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Biringer, Blaise 1 ; Kennedy, Dakota 1 ; Perezchica, Jasmine 1
HBP: Kennedy, Dakota 1
Batting:
2B: McGowan, Terra 2
HR: Carlson, Ariel 1 ; Bird, Tehya 1
RBI: Bunker, Allee 1 ; McGowan, Terra 2 ; Howard, Katelyn 1 ; Carlson, Ariel 3 ; Bird, Tehya 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Delgado, Hanna 1 ; Luschar, Kai 1 ; Bunker, Allee 1 ; McGowan, Terra 2 ; Humphreys, KK 1 ; Carlson, Ariel 1 ; Bird, Tehya 1
SB: Delgado, Hanna 1 ; Bunker, Allee 1 ; Humphreys, KK 2 ; Carlson, Ariel 1
Game Leaders
cf/lf
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
UT
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball2024-25 Oregon Softball Intro Video
Thursday, June 12
The Power of Seven.
Thursday, May 29
The Oregon Softball Fan Experience | 2025 NCAA Super Regionals
Monday, May 26
Oregon Softball | NCAA Super Regionals | Postgame - Game 2
Sunday, May 25
