Ducks Run-Rule Butler to Tie School Record

Saturday, March 4

Columbia, Mo.

6:00 PM

University of Oregon

18-0

Butler

6-8

Butler

Oregon

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

03/04/17 | Softball

Box Score #4 Oregon 8, Butler 0

NO. 4 OREGON RUN-RULED BUTLER, 8-0, IN FIVE INNINGS TO IMPROVE TO 18-0 AND TIE THE LONGEST WINNING STREAK IN PROGRAM HISTORY

By: Nate Krueger

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 4 ranked Oregon softball team matched the longest winning streak in program history with its 18th in a row to open the 2017 season, run-ruling Butler, 8-0, in five innings on Saturday night at Mizzou Stadium.

The Ducks (18-0) matched the school record with their second win of the day after beating No. 24 Missouri, 10-3, shortly before facing Butler, and moved to 4-0 in the Missouri Invitational going into Sunday's final day.

Oregon will go for a program-record 19th win in a row Sunday morning at 8 a.m. PT against Stephen F. Austin.

How it Happened: Oregon took advantage of three Butler (6-8) errors in the first two innings to jump out to a 4-0 lead. After an error and single by Gwen Svekis in the first, Nikki Udria put the Ducks on the board with an RBI single to right field. Svekis then came around to score on a wild pitch, and Mia Camuso scored Udria with an RBI groundout.

In the second, Lauren Lindvall reached second on a misplayed ball by the Butler left fielder, and scored on a throwing error by the right fielder after tagging from second on a Shannon Rhodes fly ball.

Camuso picked up her second RBI of the game in the third with a run-scoring single to left, and two-way player Miranda Elish took advantage of getting a start in the lineup with an RBI single to center to score Camuso and make it 6-0, Ducks.

Jenna Lilley walked-off the Ducks with a run-rule win in the fifth inning, crushing a two-run home run to right field to seal the Ducks' 18th-straight win.

In the Circle: Freshman Maggie Balint (9-0) was stellar in the circle once again for the Ducks, tossing a five-inning, complete-game shutout while surrendering only two hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Balint got off to a tremendous start in the game, striking out the first six batters she faced. In 47.2 innings pitched this season, Balint posts a minuscule 1.17 ERA with 73 strikeouts against only nine walks while holding opponents to a .172 batting average.

At the Plate: Lilley smacked her first home run of the season to drive in a pair of runs for the Ducks, and Camuso finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Urdu and Elish each drove in runs for the Ducks, as well.

On the Tournament: Through four games in Missouri, the Ducks have scored 39 runs on 48 hits while allowing only five runs on 13 hits. Alexis Mack leads the Ducks with a whopping .692 (9-for-13) batting average, while Udria sits at .400 (6-for-15). Of the eight Ducks with 10 at-bats or more in the tournament, all eight are hitting better than .300 and six are over .350.

Balint is now 2-0 in the tournament with two complete-game wins, allowing three runs in 10.1 innings with 17 strikeouts and two walks. Combining Balint with Elish and Megan Kleist, who earned the win earlier in the day against Missouri, the Ducks' pitching staff boasts a 1.46 ERA on the weekend.

Up Next: The Ducks will look to complete another undefeated weekend and win the most consecutive games in UO history Sunday morning against Stephen F. Austin.