Dominance Continues On Opening Weekend at The Jane

Saturday, February 28

Eugene, OR

3:30 PM

University of Oregon

11-6

Stetson

13-6

Stetson

Oregon

Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com

Dominance Continues On Opening Weekend at The Jane

02/28/26 | Softball

Box Score #20 Oregon 4, Stetson 1 #20 Oregon 8, Samford 0 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

Oregon won twice more Saturday in the Oregon Classic, including the Ducks' second run-rule win of the weekend.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon softball team learned throughout the month of February that it can dig deep and gut out gritty wins over other ranked teams. And it's showing, as the season's opening month concludes, that it can be dominant at times, too.

The Ducks posted a run-rule win for the second day in a row Saturday, and also won a pair of games for the second straight day in the Oregon Classic at Jane Sanders Stadium. After allowing a first-inning homer in Saturday's opener, the UO pitching staff didn't allow a run the rest of the day to post a 4-1 win over Stetson and an 8-0 victory over Samford in five innings.

Those results came a day after the No. 20 Ducks (12-6) opened the Oregon Classic with a run-rule win over Stetson on Friday. The UO softball team had a pair of run-rule wins over the first three weeks of the season, and has now doubled that total during the first weekend of action at The Jane.

"This group is great," sophomore second baseman Kaylynn Jones said. "I mean, we work so well together, and we have every piece that every team wants. And so to show that in a game like our home opener is great. We've been waiting for it all year."

Jones had a three-run homer as part of a seven-run outburst over the final two innings of Saturday's nightcap, which transfer Elon Butler finished off by stroking a two-run, walk-off single. That capped a day in which Butler was 5-for-6 with three extra-base hits and four RBIs, giving her 12 runs driven in so far this weekend.

"She thinks she's gonna beat anybody," UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. "It's like, it doesn't matter who's on the mound. She just knows she's gonna beat them. And I love that about her."

How It Happened — Game 1: A two-out solo homer in the top of the first by Stetson ended up being the only run allowed by UO pitching all day. It was also the only hit allowed in five innings of work by Taylour Spencer (4-2).

"Going into this year, it's more of my mentality to just go have fun and attack," Spencer said. "I think last year I put a lot of pressure on myself when I didn't need to. And so (this year is about) just coming out here and, again, just throwing the ball like I know how, and going out there and having fun."

It helped that Oregon answered Stetson's early homer in remarkably similar fashion. In the bottom of the first, also with two out, Butler got her big day started with a game-tying solo homer, her fourth of the season.

"It's nice knowing that we have an offense that can score, and back me up when things like that happen," Spencer said. "And I think once we got that run back, I was like, OK, go time."

Butler gave the Ducks the lead in the third inning. With two out and Ayanna Shaw on first base, Butler doubled to bring Shaw all the way around with the go-ahead run.

Shaw then tripled with one out in the fifth, bringing in Katie Flannery for a 3-1 lead. Shaw scored on a fielder's choice to make it 4-1 through five innings, and Elise Sokolsky came on from there and threw two scoreless innings to close out the game.

How It Happened — Game 2: Shaw was in the middle of the action again to open scoring in the nightcap. Her second triple of the day opened the third inning, and Jones brought her home with a sacrifice fly.

"She's just very difficult to defend," Lombardi said of Shaw's power-slapping profile. "I look at these last couple years, she's just been banged up. You know, she'd be healthy and then not healthy. And you're just seeing a healthy Ayanna who's just really, really good at what she does."

In the fourth, freshman Taryn Ho led off with a double and Braiesey Rose was hit by a pitch. To the plate came 2025 freshman all-American Rylee McCoy, who came into Saturday 1-for-31 this season but doubled in Ho for her first hit since Feb. 7.

McCoy was subsequently replaced with a pinch runner, and her teammates mobbed her when she returned to the dugout.

"She's back — that's all it needed," Jones said. "That's all it takes. We were excited for her. We know it's been difficult for her, but she's dove into her teammates, which is what we all expect from each other, no matter what our results are. So I'm excited for her. I think it's just the beginning."

Three batters later, Jones came up with two on and two out, and her laser over the fence in right-center made it 5-1. In the fifth, McCoy, Flannery and Shaw all walked with two outs, Jones made it four straight walks to force in McCoy for a 6-1 lead, and Butler followed with her walk-off single.

Notable: Butler takes a nine-game hitting streak into Sunday's Oregon Classic finale, and she's hitting .769 (10-for-13) in the tournament. … Lyndsey Grein struck out the final Samford hitter Saturday and has now thrown 7.1 perfect innings with 15 strikeouts on the weekend. … Sokolsky's save against Stetson was the seventh of her career, tied for sixth in UO history.

Up Next: The Ducks close out the Oregon Classic with a rematch against Samford on Sunday (12:30 p.m., B1G+).