Oregon Softball Comes From Behind To Beat #14 Duke In Extra Innings

Oregon softball completed a very puzzling weekend with a come-from-behind victory that went to extra innings over #14 Duke.

This was the first meeting ever in softball between the schools. This battle between top-15 softball teams was a great finale to the Mary Nutter tournament; even more so with a Ducks victory.

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Lyndsey Grein picked up the start, vs. Mallory Wheeler for the Blue Devils. Grein started well enough, and Duke did not score in the first two innings.

Meanwhile, Oregon’s bat showed some life in the early innings. The Ducks scored first in the second inning with Rylee McCoy’s sacrifice fly to score Emma Cox. In the third inning, Kaylynn Jones doubled, and then reached home off a defensive error that allowed Amari Harper to get to send base. Elon Butler then sent Harper home with a double.

Grein’s pitching game fell completely apart in the bottom of the third inning, allowing two runs with no outs, and Duke was back in it.

That was it for Grein’s morning, and Maddie Milhorn came to the circle and closed the inning with no further damage.

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And then, just like that, Oregon’s bats went cold. Larissa Jacquez took the circle for the Blue Devils when Oregon went up 3-0, and held the Ducks scoreless for three innings. Oregon’s best chance to score again was in the sixth inning, but (as has been their wont in the early season) they stranded runners in scoring position and came up empty.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Duke crept back into the ball game. A double was followed by a two-run homer, and that was it for Milhorn’s time in the circle. The Ducks brought Elise Sokolsky to the circle, with Duke now up 4-3.

The Blue Devils added another run off Sokolsky, with a double that increased their lead to 5-3.

Down by two, it was time for the Oregon bats to come to life and put the heat on the Duke pitchers. With Jones on third and one out, Butler ended Jacquez’s outing in the circle with an RBI single.

Mallory Wheeler came back in for the Blue Devils, but that did not quell the Oregon onslaught. Braiesey Rosa hit a single that sent Butler home, and then freshman SS Taryn Ho brought in the go-ahead run.

Bottom of the 7th inning, and Oregon needs three outs to escape with the win. Just three outs. We can do that, right?

Sokolsky allowed two singles with no outs and got the hook, bringing in Taylour Spencer. The game felt like it was slipping away when Duke tied the game up, and with one out they had two runners in scoring position.

Oregon’s defense ended Duke’s hope of a win in seven with a nifty double play, and we went to extra innings.

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Oregon’s bats continued to jump all over the Duke pitchers, who had given it all they could and came up short. In extra innings, the sides begin with a placed runner at second base. The Ducks put Ho as the second base runner, and she advanced to third with a McCoy fly ball out in right field. Ho scored when Katie Flannery singled, putting the Ducks up by one. With two outs, Oregon finally strung together some runs, and Jones hit a double to score Flannery.

Harper followed up with a home run to bring Jones home.

Butler and Cox got on base, and Rosa hit a single to score Butler and give Oregon an 11-6 lead.

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Duke scored two more runs off Spencer, but Oregon’s lead was too great and the Ducks came away with an 11-8 victory.

Thus, Oregon softball ended a crazy weekend where they lost two games to unranked competition, but won their three games against ranked opponents. So what are we to make of this? Is Oregon not particularly good? Yes. Are the Ducks a really good team? Yes.

Oregon softball has started the season with a very Jekyll-and-Hyde streak going on. Three weekends into the season, we don’t really have a handle on who these Ducks are yet.

This coming weekend, the Ducks come home to the The Jane for the Oregon Classic, and some easier competition against Stetson, Idaho State, and Samford.

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Maybe.