Friday, March 6
Eugene, OR
3:30 PM
University of Oregon
15-6
8
vs
3
Oregon State
9-15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Oregon State
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
4
3
Oregon
2
1
2
2
0
1
X
8
11
1
Ducks Take Two in Comeback Fashion
03/07/26 | Softball
EUGENE, Ore. — No. 18 Oregon came from behind in both games to sweep a doubleheader Friday on the first day of the Jane Sanders Classic.
Played before a season-high 2,045 fans at Jane Sanders Stadium, the Ducks (16-5) overcame an early deficit to defeat Oregon State, 8-3, winning the Rivalry Series in the process. In the nightcap, Oregon trailed Sacramento State 6-3 heading to the bottom of the fifth, but scored once in the fifth and three times in the sixth to pull off a 7-6 thriller.
In the first game, the Beavers (9-15) jumped ahead 3-0 in the top of the first, but the Ducks tied the game in the bottom of the second and then pulled ahead for good on Amari Harper's two-run homer in the fourth.
Against Sacramento State (17-5), the Hornets scored three runs in the second inning and three runs in the third for a 6-2 lead, but Oregon kept chipping away at the lead until Kaylynn Jones singled up the middle to drive in the tying and go-ahead runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
"These guys even early in the game, they knew they were going to come back," said coach Melyssa Lombardi. "Our leaders talked about, let's just get one each inning. And so just for them to know that before it happens, I think that just says a lot about this group and their ability to find ways to come back and win."
How It Happened – Game 1: After allowing Oregon State to score three runs to its first three batters in the top of the first. Elise Sokolsky settled in and held the Beavers scoreless over the next 4.1 innings to improve to 3-1 on the season. She struck out four and walked two.
In the bottom of the first with two outs, Elon Butler walked and scored on Stefini Ma'ake's double down the right field line. Amari Harper then singled to score Ma'ake and cut Oregon State's lead to 3-2.
The Ducks tied the game, 3-3, in the third inning when Ayanna Shaw tripled to score Katie Flannery.
Harper gave the Ducks the lead for good with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third, her fifth of the season.
Oregon took advantage of a throwing error to score twice in the fourth.
After the error that allowed Butler to reach first, Ma'ake singled through the left side – her third hit of the game – to chase Butler around to third. Regan Legg ran for Ma'ake and stole second, before Rylee McCoy delivered a pinch-hit double down the leftfield line to score both runners for a 7-3 lead.
"I think Stef [Ma'ake] is doing a great job in the counts that she's hitting, like when she's aggressive, and she puts herself in good counts, things happen," said Lombardi. "And so, I think her recognizing, you know what, my bats that have been good up to this point I'm putting myself in a really good place. And so right now, you see what she's doing, and she's putting herself in good counts."
In the sixth inning, Butler blooped a single into right field to extend her hitting streak to a career-best 12 games. Harper doubled to plate her with Oregon's eighth run of the game.
Harper went 3-for-4 against the Beavers and drove in four runs, while Ma'ake also was 3-for-4.
How It Happened – Game 2: Kaylynn Jones played hero in the Ducks' come-from-behind win over Sacramento State not only with her go-ahead RBI, but also with her third career home run.
She singled in the first inning to fire up the offense. Elon Butler then delivered a double to right center – extending her hitting streak to a career-best 13 games. Stefini Ma'ake's single scored both runners gave the Ducks an early 2-0 lead.
But the Hornets seized control by scoring three runs in both the second and third innings.
Trailing 6-2, Jones led off the bottom of the third with a home run as the Ducks began to chip away.
Butler made it a 6-4 game with her sixth home run of the season with two outs in the bottom of the of the fifth.
The Ducks rally to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth could be one of the turning points of the season. Oregon brought nine runners to the plate and scored three times.
Amari Harper led off with a single. Rylee McCoy walked. Emma Cox delivered a pinch-hit single to load the bases with no outs.
After Braiesey Rosa struck out, Katie Flannery got the Ducks within a run, 6-5, with a single to right. Ayanna Shaw then hit into a fielder's choice that forced McCoy at home.
With two out and the bases loaded, Jones singled through the middle to score the tying and go-ahead runs.
"We have just been playing for each other," said Jones. "I mean, again, it's just a game, and to know that we all love playing this game, and all we want to do is win."
Lyndsey Grein then finished off the win with a strikeout and a double play in the top of the seventh. Grein relieved in the third inning and held Sacramento State scoreless on one hit over 4.1 innings. She struck out eight and walked one to improve to 8-3.
"In general, my job is to always have my teammates backs, so whoever, regardless of whether I'm relieving or starting, that's the approach I have going into it," said Grein "My goal was to just leave today with two wins, and that was the goal and motivation for today."
Jones went 3-for-4 with three RBI against the Hornets, while Butler was 2-for-4.
Notable: Ayanna Shaw had a hit against Oregon State to extend her hitting streak to a career-best seven games before being held hitless against the Hornets … Amari Harper collected her 100th career RBI in the Oregon State game.
Quotable
Pitcher Lyndsey Grein on the game-ending double play
"That was pretty sweet. I will say, there's so much work that goes into those awesome plays like that. Our defense puts a lot of time into their craft, and I think that's something that we don't necessarily talk about a whole lot. There's a lot of time, energy, and effort spent by the coaches and our players, and we really focus on the small details at practice. So, whenever those double plays or things that come up that we work on in practice come up in the game, it's really fun and exciting and something that we celebrate."
Up Next: The second day of the Jane Sanders Classic on Saturday finds the Ducks playing Nevada at 3:30 p.m. and Sacramento State at 6 p.m. (B1G+).
Played before a season-high 2,045 fans at Jane Sanders Stadium, the Ducks (16-5) overcame an early deficit to defeat Oregon State, 8-3, winning the Rivalry Series in the process. In the nightcap, Oregon trailed Sacramento State 6-3 heading to the bottom of the fifth, but scored once in the fifth and three times in the sixth to pull off a 7-6 thriller.
In the first game, the Beavers (9-15) jumped ahead 3-0 in the top of the first, but the Ducks tied the game in the bottom of the second and then pulled ahead for good on Amari Harper's two-run homer in the fourth.
Against Sacramento State (17-5), the Hornets scored three runs in the second inning and three runs in the third for a 6-2 lead, but Oregon kept chipping away at the lead until Kaylynn Jones singled up the middle to drive in the tying and go-ahead runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
"These guys even early in the game, they knew they were going to come back," said coach Melyssa Lombardi. "Our leaders talked about, let's just get one each inning. And so just for them to know that before it happens, I think that just says a lot about this group and their ability to find ways to come back and win."
How It Happened – Game 1: After allowing Oregon State to score three runs to its first three batters in the top of the first. Elise Sokolsky settled in and held the Beavers scoreless over the next 4.1 innings to improve to 3-1 on the season. She struck out four and walked two.
In the bottom of the first with two outs, Elon Butler walked and scored on Stefini Ma'ake's double down the right field line. Amari Harper then singled to score Ma'ake and cut Oregon State's lead to 3-2.
The Ducks tied the game, 3-3, in the third inning when Ayanna Shaw tripled to score Katie Flannery.
Harper gave the Ducks the lead for good with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third, her fifth of the season.
Oregon took advantage of a throwing error to score twice in the fourth.
After the error that allowed Butler to reach first, Ma'ake singled through the left side – her third hit of the game – to chase Butler around to third. Regan Legg ran for Ma'ake and stole second, before Rylee McCoy delivered a pinch-hit double down the leftfield line to score both runners for a 7-3 lead.
"I think Stef [Ma'ake] is doing a great job in the counts that she's hitting, like when she's aggressive, and she puts herself in good counts, things happen," said Lombardi. "And so, I think her recognizing, you know what, my bats that have been good up to this point I'm putting myself in a really good place. And so right now, you see what she's doing, and she's putting herself in good counts."
In the sixth inning, Butler blooped a single into right field to extend her hitting streak to a career-best 12 games. Harper doubled to plate her with Oregon's eighth run of the game.
Harper went 3-for-4 against the Beavers and drove in four runs, while Ma'ake also was 3-for-4.
How It Happened – Game 2: Kaylynn Jones played hero in the Ducks' come-from-behind win over Sacramento State not only with her go-ahead RBI, but also with her third career home run.
She singled in the first inning to fire up the offense. Elon Butler then delivered a double to right center – extending her hitting streak to a career-best 13 games. Stefini Ma'ake's single scored both runners gave the Ducks an early 2-0 lead.
But the Hornets seized control by scoring three runs in both the second and third innings.
Trailing 6-2, Jones led off the bottom of the third with a home run as the Ducks began to chip away.
Butler made it a 6-4 game with her sixth home run of the season with two outs in the bottom of the of the fifth.
The Ducks rally to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth could be one of the turning points of the season. Oregon brought nine runners to the plate and scored three times.
Amari Harper led off with a single. Rylee McCoy walked. Emma Cox delivered a pinch-hit single to load the bases with no outs.
After Braiesey Rosa struck out, Katie Flannery got the Ducks within a run, 6-5, with a single to right. Ayanna Shaw then hit into a fielder's choice that forced McCoy at home.
With two out and the bases loaded, Jones singled through the middle to score the tying and go-ahead runs.
"We have just been playing for each other," said Jones. "I mean, again, it's just a game, and to know that we all love playing this game, and all we want to do is win."
Lyndsey Grein then finished off the win with a strikeout and a double play in the top of the seventh. Grein relieved in the third inning and held Sacramento State scoreless on one hit over 4.1 innings. She struck out eight and walked one to improve to 8-3.
"In general, my job is to always have my teammates backs, so whoever, regardless of whether I'm relieving or starting, that's the approach I have going into it," said Grein "My goal was to just leave today with two wins, and that was the goal and motivation for today."
Jones went 3-for-4 with three RBI against the Hornets, while Butler was 2-for-4.
Notable: Ayanna Shaw had a hit against Oregon State to extend her hitting streak to a career-best seven games before being held hitless against the Hornets … Amari Harper collected her 100th career RBI in the Oregon State game.
Quotable
Pitcher Lyndsey Grein on the game-ending double play
"That was pretty sweet. I will say, there's so much work that goes into those awesome plays like that. Our defense puts a lot of time into their craft, and I think that's something that we don't necessarily talk about a whole lot. There's a lot of time, energy, and effort spent by the coaches and our players, and we really focus on the small details at practice. So, whenever those double plays or things that come up that we work on in practice come up in the game, it's really fun and exciting and something that we celebrate."
Up Next: The second day of the Jane Sanders Classic on Saturday finds the Ducks playing Nevada at 3:30 p.m. and Sacramento State at 6 p.m. (B1G+).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sokolsky, Elise (3-1)
L: Aleman (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Butler 2
HR: Howey 1
RBI: Howey 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Lewis 1 ; Butler 1 ; Howey 1
Batting:
2B: Ma'ake, Stefini 1 ; Harper, Amari 1 ; McCoy, Rylee 1
3B: Shaw, Ayanna 1
HR: Harper, Amari 1
RBI: Shaw, Ayanna 1 ; Ma'ake, Stefini 1 ; Harper, Amari 4 ; McCoy, Rylee 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Butler, Elon 3 ; Ma'ake, Stefini 2 ; Legg, Regan 1 ; Harper, Amari 1 ; Flannery, Katie 1
SB: Legg, Regan 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
4
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
3
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UTIL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballINF/OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballRylee McCoy | Postgame - Oregon Classic (Day 3)
Monday, March 02
Melyssa Lombardi | Postgame - Oregon Classic (Day 3)
Monday, March 02
Amari Harper | Postgame - Oregon Classic (Day 3)
Monday, March 02
Taylour Spencer | Postgame - Oregon Classic (Day 2)
Sunday, March 01
