Saturday, March 9
Eugene, OR
12:00 PM
University of Oregon
11-9
6
vs
7
Oklahoma State
17-5
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6
7
R
H
E
Oklahoma State
0
1
1
0
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7
12
1
Oregon
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0
0
3
6
9
0
Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Comeback Attempts Fall Short in Doubleheader
03/09/19 | Softball
EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon softball team mounted comeback attempts in both games of Saturday's doubleheader against No. 19 Oklahoma State, but the Cowgirls held on for two wins and a series sweep at Jane Sanders Stadium.
The No. 24 Ducks (11-10) nearly clawed all the way back from a 7-3 deficit in the final inning of the first game before falling, 7-6. Oklahoma State (18-5) saw a 7-2 lead in the second game shrink to 7-6, but the Cowgirls added two big insurance runs and completed the three-game sweep with a 9-6 victory.
Oregon will open Pac-12 play next weekend on the road against No. 12 Arizona.
GAME ONE – OKLAHOMA STATE 7, OREGON 6
How it Happened: Oklahoma State used a pair of RBI singles in the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead, but the Ducks answered with a three-spot in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of walks and an infield single loaded the bases with one out, and Cherish Burks put Oregon on the board with a sacrifice fly. A walk to Allee Bunker loaded the bases again, and Jasmine Sievers delivered at two-out, two-run single up the middle to put the Ducks up, 3-2.
Oregon was unable to take advantage of a pair of baserunners in the sixth, and Oklahoma State added three insurance runs in the seventh on back-to-back home runs to extend its lead to 7-3.
Haley Cruse opened the bottom of the seventh with a single, and freshman Rachel Cid quickly made it at two-run game with a two-run home run to center, the first of her career at Jane Sanders Stadium. After the Cowgirls retired the next two batters in order, freshman walk-on Annalisa Williamson barreled up OSU ace Samantha Show to center for her first career home run to make it a one-run game and keep the Ducks alive. But Show struck out the next batter to end Oregon's comeback bid and secure the series win for Oklahoma State.
In the Circle: Jordan Dail (9-5) took the loss after allowing seven runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts.
GAME TWO – OKLAHOMA STATE 9, OREGON 6
How it Happened: The Cowgirls brought a leadoff walk around to score in the first to take a 1-0 lead, but the Ducks responded right away with two runs in the bottom half. Sievers doubled with one out to put two runners in scoring position, and Cruse came through with a two-run single to right to give Oregon a 2-1 advantage.
Krueger kept OSU scoreless in the fourth, and the Ducks used some clutch two-out hitting in the bottom half to score three runs and make it a one-run ballgame. Bunker and Sievers notched back-to-back singles after the first two batters were retired, and Bowden roped a two-run double to center to get Oregon within two. Cruse then bounced an RBI single over the head of the third baseman to score Bowden and cut the OSU lead to one, 7-6. A single by Cid put the tying run at third base, but OSU ended the inning with a strikeout.
The Cowgirls got two back in the top of the fifth via a home run and an RBI double to push their lead back to three. Krueger kept them scoreless the rest of the way after that, but the Ducks were unable to push anything more across against OSU ace Samantha Show, who threw three scoreless innings of relief. Cid and Utecht walked to open the seventh inning, putting the tying run at the plate, but Show retired the next three batters to end the game.
At the Plate: Cruse finished with a career-high three hits and tied her career-high with three RBIs, Bowden drove in two and Sievres went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Bunker also scored two runs in a 1-for-3 performance, and Utecht had a hit and two walks.
In the Circle: Krueger (0-1), a freshman walk-on who joined the team not even two months ago, went the distance against a top-20 team and a potent offense.
"I love everything she's doing," said head coach Melyssa Lombardi. "Kailey five weeks ago was on campus going to school. The last time she pitched was last year in May. So if you really want to get the nuts and bolts of Kailey, I couldn't be more proud of her and what she did. She gave us a chance to win the ballgame."
Burks Shines in Left Field: Senior Cherish Burks made a pair of terrific diving catches in left field on Saturday after making one in foul territory during Friday's game. Burks took extra bases away from OSU in the fifth inning of the first game, sprinting into the corner and laying out for a phenomenal diving catch. In the fifth inning of the second game, Burks charged toward the foul line and dove across her body to the right to make another great diving play.
Quotable:
Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi
On the weekend…
"I thought our team fought all three games. I think for us the main thing is just not extending innings. You could see where we'd fight and make some great plays, and then you could see where we would extend an inning because we wouldn't make a play or we weren't clean with something. We just need to be clean and not extend innings because with teams like that you can't give them anything, they need to work for it themselves."
On the offense breaking out…
"It was really good to see. I think they were putting a lot of pressure on themselves. I really like at the end of the first game they took that into the second game and were able to just relax a little bit. From there, you saw them hit the ball hard, be timely with their hitting, draw their walks, and put things together."
Haley Cruse, Junior Outfielder
On the weekend…
"I think that we competed a lot this weekend, and we came out with a good approach and never gave up, which is a positive. I think we really got the belief that we really can hang with anyone."
Shaye Bowden, Sophomore Utility
On the message entering Pac-12 play…
"Just keep fighting. We have what it takes to win, and now it's just stringing everything together, working as a team and staying as a unit."
Up Next: The Ducks kick off conference play on Friday (6 p.m.) in Tucson against No. 12 Arizona.
The No. 24 Ducks (11-10) nearly clawed all the way back from a 7-3 deficit in the final inning of the first game before falling, 7-6. Oklahoma State (18-5) saw a 7-2 lead in the second game shrink to 7-6, but the Cowgirls added two big insurance runs and completed the three-game sweep with a 9-6 victory.
Oregon will open Pac-12 play next weekend on the road against No. 12 Arizona.
GAME ONE – OKLAHOMA STATE 7, OREGON 6
How it Happened: Oklahoma State used a pair of RBI singles in the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead, but the Ducks answered with a three-spot in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of walks and an infield single loaded the bases with one out, and Cherish Burks put Oregon on the board with a sacrifice fly. A walk to Allee Bunker loaded the bases again, and Jasmine Sievers delivered at two-out, two-run single up the middle to put the Ducks up, 3-2.
The Ducks' lead was short-lived, though, as OSU opened the fifth inning with a leadoff home run to tie the game. The next batter tripled, and a sacrifice fly gave the Cowgirls a 4-3 advantage.B4 | DUCKS TAKE THE LEAD!@jassievers knocks a two-out, two-run single up the middle and the Ducks have a 3-2 lead over No. 19 Oklahoma State! Pitching change coming for OSU with two in scoring position and two outs. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/ukPYEM58nV
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) March 9, 2019
Oregon was unable to take advantage of a pair of baserunners in the sixth, and Oklahoma State added three insurance runs in the seventh on back-to-back home runs to extend its lead to 7-3.
Haley Cruse opened the bottom of the seventh with a single, and freshman Rachel Cid quickly made it at two-run game with a two-run home run to center, the first of her career at Jane Sanders Stadium. After the Cowgirls retired the next two batters in order, freshman walk-on Annalisa Williamson barreled up OSU ace Samantha Show to center for her first career home run to make it a one-run game and keep the Ducks alive. But Show struck out the next batter to end Oregon's comeback bid and secure the series win for Oklahoma State.
At the Plate: Cid finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and her team-leading fourth home run of the season, and Williamson went 2-for-4 with her first two career hits and her first home run. Sievers had a pair of RBIs, Bunker finished with two hits and Burks added an RBI in a 1-for-3 day.Here's a look at the first home run of Annalisa Williamson's collegiate career. Congrats, @_annalisaw_! #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/IbYrjecZ9e
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) March 9, 2019
In the Circle: Jordan Dail (9-5) took the loss after allowing seven runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts.
GAME TWO – OKLAHOMA STATE 9, OREGON 6
How it Happened: The Cowgirls brought a leadoff walk around to score in the first to take a 1-0 lead, but the Ducks responded right away with two runs in the bottom half. Sievers doubled with one out to put two runners in scoring position, and Cruse came through with a two-run single to right to give Oregon a 2-1 advantage.
Freshman Kailey Krueger threw a 1-2-3 second inning, but the Cowgirls struck for six runs in the third to take a five-run lead. Oregon got one back in the bottom half when Shaye Bowden and Cruse executed a first-and-third delayed double steal to push a run across.B1 | @haley_crusee delivers a two-out, two-run single to right and the Ducks take a 2-1 lead!
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) March 9, 2019
One on, two outs. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/0gEl5P1ug7
Krueger kept OSU scoreless in the fourth, and the Ducks used some clutch two-out hitting in the bottom half to score three runs and make it a one-run ballgame. Bunker and Sievers notched back-to-back singles after the first two batters were retired, and Bowden roped a two-run double to center to get Oregon within two. Cruse then bounced an RBI single over the head of the third baseman to score Bowden and cut the OSU lead to one, 7-6. A single by Cid put the tying run at third base, but OSU ended the inning with a strikeout.
The Cowgirls got two back in the top of the fifth via a home run and an RBI double to push their lead back to three. Krueger kept them scoreless the rest of the way after that, but the Ducks were unable to push anything more across against OSU ace Samantha Show, who threw three scoreless innings of relief. Cid and Utecht walked to open the seventh inning, putting the tying run at the plate, but Show retired the next three batters to end the game.
At the Plate: Cruse finished with a career-high three hits and tied her career-high with three RBIs, Bowden drove in two and Sievres went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Bunker also scored two runs in a 1-for-3 performance, and Utecht had a hit and two walks.
In the Circle: Krueger (0-1), a freshman walk-on who joined the team not even two months ago, went the distance against a top-20 team and a potent offense.
"I love everything she's doing," said head coach Melyssa Lombardi. "Kailey five weeks ago was on campus going to school. The last time she pitched was last year in May. So if you really want to get the nuts and bolts of Kailey, I couldn't be more proud of her and what she did. She gave us a chance to win the ballgame."
Burks Shines in Left Field: Senior Cherish Burks made a pair of terrific diving catches in left field on Saturday after making one in foul territory during Friday's game. Burks took extra bases away from OSU in the fifth inning of the first game, sprinting into the corner and laying out for a phenomenal diving catch. In the fifth inning of the second game, Burks charged toward the foul line and dove across her body to the right to make another great diving play.
Quotable:
Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi
On the weekend…
"I thought our team fought all three games. I think for us the main thing is just not extending innings. You could see where we'd fight and make some great plays, and then you could see where we would extend an inning because we wouldn't make a play or we weren't clean with something. We just need to be clean and not extend innings because with teams like that you can't give them anything, they need to work for it themselves."
On the offense breaking out…
"It was really good to see. I think they were putting a lot of pressure on themselves. I really like at the end of the first game they took that into the second game and were able to just relax a little bit. From there, you saw them hit the ball hard, be timely with their hitting, draw their walks, and put things together."
Haley Cruse, Junior Outfielder
On the weekend…
"I think that we competed a lot this weekend, and we came out with a good approach and never gave up, which is a positive. I think we really got the belief that we really can hang with anyone."
Shaye Bowden, Sophomore Utility
On the message entering Pac-12 play…
"Just keep fighting. We have what it takes to win, and now it's just stringing everything together, working as a team and staying as a unit."
Up Next: The Ducks kick off conference play on Friday (6 p.m.) in Tucson against No. 12 Arizona.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Clakley, Samantha (3-1)
L: Dail, Jordan (9-5)
S: Show, Samantha (2)
Batting:
2B: Naomi, Kiley 1
3B: Montgomery, Madi Sue 1
HR: Show, Samantha 1 ; Pennington, Sydney 1 ; Springfield, Sydney 1
RBI: Show, Samantha 1 ; Factor, Chyenne 1 ; Lynch, Taylor 1 ; Pennington, Sydney 2 ; Domginguez, Raquel 1 ; Springfield, Sydney 1
SH: Montgomery, Madi Sue 1 ; Alexander, Chelsea 1
SF: Factor, Chyenne 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bayless, Rylee 1 ; Show, Samantha 1 ; Montgomery, Madi Sue 1 ; Factor, Chyenne 1 ; Brantley, Shalee 1 ; Pennington, Sydney 1 ; Springfield, Sydney 1
SB: Naomi, Kiley 1
HBP: Naomi, Kiley 1
Batting:
2B: Burks, Cherish 1 ; Cid, Rachel 1
HR: Cid, Rachel 1 ; Williamson, Annalisa 1
RBI: Burks, Cherish 1 ; Williams, Jasmine 2 ; Cid, Rachel 2 ; Williamson, Annalisa 1
SF: Burks, Cherish 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cruse, Haley 1 ; Cid, Rachel 1 ; Cook, Bailey 1 ; Bruner, Bayley 1 ; Williamson, Annalisa 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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OF
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RHP
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IF
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