Friday, May 23
Eugene, OR
7:00 PM
University of Oregon
52-8
3
vs
2
Liberty
50-14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Liberty
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
2
8
1
Oregon
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
3
7
0
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Walk-off Victory Has Ducks A Win Away From OKC
05/23/25 | Softball
Oregon will play for a spot in the Women's College World Series after a Super Regional win over Liberty on Friday.
EUGENE, Ore. — The script read a little differently. The main characters looked the same. And now Oregon softball is one win away from the Women's College World Series.
Five days after a walk-off win to clinch a spot in Super Regionals, the Ducks won in their final at-bat again Friday to open the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, 3-2 over Liberty in eight innings. Oregon won on a hit by Dezianna Patmon to back an exceptional relief effort from Staci Chambers, just as they did to beat Stanford on Sunday.
This game was lower scoring, and didn't require Oregon to come from behind. It was a chess match between coaching staffs, with each catching the other in a rules issue. But it ended the same as Sunday — with a UO victory, to the delight of a packed Jane Sanders Stadium.
"Love the absolute grit, resilience, just seeing the character of this team show up throughout the entire game," said UO coach Melyssa Lombardi, whose team can advance to the WCWS with a win Saturday at 4 p.m. "We had some things early on that didn't go our way, and it didn't matter. We just kept fighting and fighting."
Though much of the night unfolded unlike Sunday's Game 7 win over Stanford in regionals, the final act was remarkably similar. With one on and one out in the bottom of the eighth, the Ducks put runners at the corners. That brought Patmon to the plate, and five days after her three-run homer ended regionals, an RBI single past second base ended the Ducks' Super Regional opener.
"Every win is important, especially in postseason, and we're just trying to play together as long as we can," Patmon said. "So I'm trying to just do my job and keep us in it."
Patmon's hit made a winner of Chambers (3-0), who allowed just one hit while getting the final seven outs in the circle for Oregon. That followed her 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to keep the Ducks' comeback hopes alive Sunday against Stanford in regionals.
"Each outing is a new outing," Chambers said. "It's a new game, new hitters. Things are just different; it's never the same. But I was just trying to stay within my own process and keeping it simple. That's what I really try to focus on."
How It Happened: Though Liberty outhit the Ducks, Oregon pitchers held the Flames to a 1-for-10 night with runners in scoring position, a trend that developed early. Liberty touched UO starter Lyndsey Grein for a one-out double in the top of the first, but after putting runners at the corners with two out, the Flames were caught stealing to end the inning.
Then came the first procedural issue on a night marked by them. The Ducks put two runners in scoring position with one out for Paige Sinicki, who put down a bunt that scored Kai Luschar from third. But Liberty challenged the play, on the grounds that Luschar left the base early, and the call was overturned. Luschar was ruled out, the run came off the board, and Sinicki flew out to end the inning.
Luschar would later be called out for leaving early after another Liberty challenge following a steal of second base in the seventh inning.
"We're gonna look back on film and see what's going on," Luschar said. "We'll fix it. It'll be fixed tomorrow."
In the top of the third, Elise Sokolsky entered the circle for Oregon with two on and no outs, and kept the game scoreless. In the bottom of the inning, Ayanna Shaw reached on a one-out error, Luschar tripled her home and two batters later an RBI single from Stefini Ma'ake made it 2-0.
The Flames got a run back in the fourth on a single and an RBI double with one out, and they tied it with a two-out single in the sixth that scored a runner from third — their only hit of the night with a runner in scoring position. Into the game came Chambers, who shut Liberty out the rest of the way.
Friday's appearance was just the 15th of the season for the senior transfer Chambers, whose only season at Oregon was interrupted by injury between Feb. 8 and March 22. She's making up for lost time in the postseason.
"I'm loving every minute of it," Chambers said. "Especially with coach and as a team, we've been talking about one pitch at a time, one-pitch focus, and that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to get caught up in each singular pitch and trying to win every pitch. So it's a joy when you compete that way. And I love playing with these girls, and I want to keep doing it. It's so much fun."
The final out on Chambers' ledger was an odd one. After two groundballs to Ma'ake to open the top of the eighth, Liberty put a runner on with a base hit. A pinch runner entered, but that substitution was noted on the wrong line of the official lineup card. Oregon's staff brought that to the attention of umpires, resulting in an out.
The stage was set for the Ducks to walk it off. Again.
From the fourth through the seventh, Oregon didn't get a runner into scoring position. That streak ended in the eighth, when Kedre Luschar singled and stole second. She then took third on a flyball out by Ma'ake.
Suddenly, déjà vu began to set in at The Jane. A week after Emma Cox walked with one out to put runners at the corners for Patmon against Stanford, this time it was Sinicki earning a free pass. And a week after sending the home crowd into a frenzy with her three-run homer to beat the Cardinal, Patmon ended Friday's game in walk-off fashion.
"I had grounded out three times before; we talk about our process a lot, and not really focusing on the outcomes," Patmon said. "Before that inning started, I went up to (associate head coach Sam) Marder, and we kind of discussed what adjustments needed to be made. And we have belief in each other, and honestly just confidence. Confidence is key. And so if you believe, then it's going to happen."
It happened for Patmon and the Ducks on Friday night, again. Saturday, they'll play for a spot in the Women's College World Series.
Notable: Oregon freshman Rylee McCoy was in uniform Friday, five days after being struck in the face by a batted ball and leaving the regional finale. She was declared day-to-day this week by Lombardi. … Grein enjoyed her first scoreless effort in her last five outings. … Kai Luschar's three-hit game was the 38th by an Oregon player in NCAA Tournament history, trailing only four-hit games by Andrea Vidlund (2003) and Laura Schmidt (1994) in UO tournament history.
Up Next: The Ducks host Liberty in game two Saturday (4 p.m., ESPN).
Five days after a walk-off win to clinch a spot in Super Regionals, the Ducks won in their final at-bat again Friday to open the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, 3-2 over Liberty in eight innings. Oregon won on a hit by Dezianna Patmon to back an exceptional relief effort from Staci Chambers, just as they did to beat Stanford on Sunday.
This game was lower scoring, and didn't require Oregon to come from behind. It was a chess match between coaching staffs, with each catching the other in a rules issue. But it ended the same as Sunday — with a UO victory, to the delight of a packed Jane Sanders Stadium.
"Love the absolute grit, resilience, just seeing the character of this team show up throughout the entire game," said UO coach Melyssa Lombardi, whose team can advance to the WCWS with a win Saturday at 4 p.m. "We had some things early on that didn't go our way, and it didn't matter. We just kept fighting and fighting."
Though much of the night unfolded unlike Sunday's Game 7 win over Stanford in regionals, the final act was remarkably similar. With one on and one out in the bottom of the eighth, the Ducks put runners at the corners. That brought Patmon to the plate, and five days after her three-run homer ended regionals, an RBI single past second base ended the Ducks' Super Regional opener.
"Every win is important, especially in postseason, and we're just trying to play together as long as we can," Patmon said. "So I'm trying to just do my job and keep us in it."
Patmon's hit made a winner of Chambers (3-0), who allowed just one hit while getting the final seven outs in the circle for Oregon. That followed her 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to keep the Ducks' comeback hopes alive Sunday against Stanford in regionals.
"Each outing is a new outing," Chambers said. "It's a new game, new hitters. Things are just different; it's never the same. But I was just trying to stay within my own process and keeping it simple. That's what I really try to focus on."
How It Happened: Though Liberty outhit the Ducks, Oregon pitchers held the Flames to a 1-for-10 night with runners in scoring position, a trend that developed early. Liberty touched UO starter Lyndsey Grein for a one-out double in the top of the first, but after putting runners at the corners with two out, the Flames were caught stealing to end the inning.
Then came the first procedural issue on a night marked by them. The Ducks put two runners in scoring position with one out for Paige Sinicki, who put down a bunt that scored Kai Luschar from third. But Liberty challenged the play, on the grounds that Luschar left the base early, and the call was overturned. Luschar was ruled out, the run came off the board, and Sinicki flew out to end the inning.
Luschar would later be called out for leaving early after another Liberty challenge following a steal of second base in the seventh inning.
"We're gonna look back on film and see what's going on," Luschar said. "We'll fix it. It'll be fixed tomorrow."
In the top of the third, Elise Sokolsky entered the circle for Oregon with two on and no outs, and kept the game scoreless. In the bottom of the inning, Ayanna Shaw reached on a one-out error, Luschar tripled her home and two batters later an RBI single from Stefini Ma'ake made it 2-0.
The Flames got a run back in the fourth on a single and an RBI double with one out, and they tied it with a two-out single in the sixth that scored a runner from third — their only hit of the night with a runner in scoring position. Into the game came Chambers, who shut Liberty out the rest of the way.
Friday's appearance was just the 15th of the season for the senior transfer Chambers, whose only season at Oregon was interrupted by injury between Feb. 8 and March 22. She's making up for lost time in the postseason.
"I'm loving every minute of it," Chambers said. "Especially with coach and as a team, we've been talking about one pitch at a time, one-pitch focus, and that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to get caught up in each singular pitch and trying to win every pitch. So it's a joy when you compete that way. And I love playing with these girls, and I want to keep doing it. It's so much fun."
The final out on Chambers' ledger was an odd one. After two groundballs to Ma'ake to open the top of the eighth, Liberty put a runner on with a base hit. A pinch runner entered, but that substitution was noted on the wrong line of the official lineup card. Oregon's staff brought that to the attention of umpires, resulting in an out.
The stage was set for the Ducks to walk it off. Again.
From the fourth through the seventh, Oregon didn't get a runner into scoring position. That streak ended in the eighth, when Kedre Luschar singled and stole second. She then took third on a flyball out by Ma'ake.
Suddenly, déjà vu began to set in at The Jane. A week after Emma Cox walked with one out to put runners at the corners for Patmon against Stanford, this time it was Sinicki earning a free pass. And a week after sending the home crowd into a frenzy with her three-run homer to beat the Cardinal, Patmon ended Friday's game in walk-off fashion.
"I had grounded out three times before; we talk about our process a lot, and not really focusing on the outcomes," Patmon said. "Before that inning started, I went up to (associate head coach Sam) Marder, and we kind of discussed what adjustments needed to be made. And we have belief in each other, and honestly just confidence. Confidence is key. And so if you believe, then it's going to happen."
It happened for Patmon and the Ducks on Friday night, again. Saturday, they'll play for a spot in the Women's College World Series.
Notable: Oregon freshman Rylee McCoy was in uniform Friday, five days after being struck in the face by a batted ball and leaving the regional finale. She was declared day-to-day this week by Lombardi. … Grein enjoyed her first scoreless effort in her last five outings. … Kai Luschar's three-hit game was the 38th by an Oregon player in NCAA Tournament history, trailing only four-hit games by Andrea Vidlund (2003) and Laura Schmidt (1994) in UO tournament history.
Up Next: The Ducks host Liberty in game two Saturday (4 p.m., ESPN).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Chambers, Staci (3-0)
L: ESCOBAR, Elena (25-4)
Batting:
2B: ROUPE, Rachel 1 ; DOERR, Paige 1
RBI: DOERR, Paige 1 ; CARRASQUILLO, Alexia 1
SH: CRAINE, Rachel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MADREY, KK 1 ; DOERR, Paige 1
CS: ROUPE, Rachel 1
Batting:
3B: Luschar, Kai 1
RBI: Luschar, Kai 1 ; Ma'ake, Stefini 1 ; Patmon, Dezianna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Luschar, Kai 1 ; Luschar, Kedre 1 ; Shaw, Ayanna 1
SB: Luschar, Kedre 1 ; Legg, Regan 1 ; Sinicki, Paige 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballINF/OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
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