Sunday, March 22
West Lafayette, IN
10:00 AM
University of Oregon
23-8, 0
2
at
1
Purdue
23-8, 0
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Oregon
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
4
1
Purdue
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
3
1
Ducks Score Two in the Seventh to Clip Purdue, 2-1
03/22/26 | Softball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For the second time this weekend, Lyndsey Grein put on a masterclass in the circle and No. 18 Oregon scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to clip Purdue, 2-1, Sunday at Bittinger Stadium.
The Ducks (23-8, 5-1) won the series two-games-to-one and have now won 10 consecutive Big Ten Conference series dating back to last season.
After striking out 11 Boilermakers in a 6-0 shutout on Friday, Grein fanned eight on Sunday in what was shaping up to be a tough-luck loss after Purdue (23-8, 4-2), pushed a run across in the bottom of the sixth inning on their first two hits of the game.
But Grein's teammates had other ideas. In the top of the seventh with a runner on first, Ayanna Shaw hit a ground rule double that one-hopped the fence in left center. Taryn Ho then lofted a sacrifice fly into right that scored pinch-runner Presley Lawton from third, tying the game at 1-1. Braiesey Rosa followed with single into right that scored Shaw with the go-ahead run.
"With this team, it's like we always know we're gonna score, we're gonna find a way to get the job done, it's just a matter of when," said Grein. "So, I had no doubt that we' were gonna get it done and it was just awesome to see the joy on my teammate's face."
That was all the run support that Grein needed as she retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh – thanks in part to the Ducks' second outfield assist of the game – for her 13th victory of the season.
"Lindsay is the GOAT," said Rosa. "She's a sweet girl off the field, but on the mound she's a monster, and I think just having that mentality and having that kind of mindset on the mound really does make the batters like kind of nervous in a way.
"So I think for me catching for her, it kinda like lights this fire for me to wanna give my 100 percent behind the plate," said Rosa.
How It Happened: Both Oregon's Grein and Purdue starter Julia Gossett were brilliant on Sunday.
Neither pitcher allowed a hit through the first four innings.
"I think that nobody was going to be denied and that it was gonna take a couple of things put together by one or the other team that was gonna be the outcome," said coach Melyssa Lombardi. "I mean it was just a total pitchers' duel."
With one out in the top of the fifth, Shaw slapped a single into right for the first hit of the game. But she was erased trying to steal second.
The Ducks then had two runners reach in the top of the sixth on a walk and an error. With two outs, Elon Butler sent a ball to deep centerfield, but Purdue's Khlow Banks caught the ball with her back against the wall to deny Oregon.
Purdue recorded its first hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth, a chopper up the middle by Banks that just got over Grein's glove.
The nation's leading hitter, Moriah Polar, followed with a double just inside the third base bag to score Banks for a 1-0 lead. But the Boilermakers' rally was cut short when Polar was thrown out from left field trying to reach third on the play.
Amari Harper led off the top of the seventh with a single. She was forced at second on Stefini Ma'ake's grounder. With Purdue shifting an outfielder to second for a five-infielder look, Shaw drove a 1-0 pitch the opposite way to deep left center for a ground-rule double, giving the Ducks runners at second and third with one out.
Ho hit a fly ball on the first pitch she saw from Gossett toward the line in right, and Lawton, who came in to run for Ma'ake at third, tagged on the play and beat the throw home to tie the game at 1-1.
Rosa also went to right on a 2-1 pitch for a go-ahead line drive single that scored Shaw.
"I just think (Rosa) was not going to get denied," said Lombardi. "She knew that we needed a run and she had the confidence to put a good swing on it and hit the ball hard, and I feel like anytime she hits the ball hard, good things happen.
"I think before that too with Taryn driving in the sac fly, just kind of building up, you see those building blocks as well," said Lombardi.
An outfield assist helped Grein retire the side in order in the bottom of the seventh. After getting a fly out to left for the first out of the inning, Gossett doubled to the wall in right center. But as she made her way to third, Butler fired a strike to the cutoff player, Kaylynn Jones, who turned and delivered the ball on target to Katie Flannery at third who got the tag down for the second out of the inning.
"The defense was great," said Lombardi. "Just watching that relay develop. It was beautiful. It was fast and it was a huge out."
Grein then ended the game on another routine fly to left.
Notable: Ho's sacrifice fly in the seventh inning was the team's 20th of the season. That's fourth best in program history and only five off the school record of 25 (2015, 2025) … Flannery recorded the out at third on both outfield assists. In the sixth inning, Harper fired a ball into Ma'ake who flipped it to third to cut down the runner. In the seventh, it was Butler to Jones to Flannery for the out.
Quotable
Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi on starting pitcher Lyndsey Grein
"I love how she just worked her counts. Anytime she got two strikes, she was able to convert. I just loved her feistiness on the mound. She wanted the ball and, I just loved watching her pitch and work with her defense."
Pitcher Lyndsey Grein
Gosh, these are, these are why we play. It makes it fun, you know, I think it would be boring if every game was a blowout. You know, that's the competitive nature of this game is why we all love it. So, super fun to play in and super thankful to play with my teammates beside me."
Grein on bouncing back after Saturday's 2-1 loss
"it's just an opportunity to look in the mirror. We don't want to lose or have bad outcomes, but I think that if you don't do anything with the bad outcomes moving forward, then the whole thing was pointless to begin with. So to be able to learn from maybe things that didn't go our way, you know, that's really important and it speaks to the character of our team."
Catcher Briaesey Rosa on driving in the go-aead run
"Honestly, it was just staying calm and knowing that I have the ability to, either move the runner or score the runner like I did in the game, and I think just having that calm mindset and not thinking too big because honestly all we needed was something small. Something hard just to get the runner at third to score."
Up Next: The Ducks travel to Bloomington, Ind., for a nonconference game Monday at Indiana (2 p.m. PT, B1G+).
The Ducks (23-8, 5-1) won the series two-games-to-one and have now won 10 consecutive Big Ten Conference series dating back to last season.
After striking out 11 Boilermakers in a 6-0 shutout on Friday, Grein fanned eight on Sunday in what was shaping up to be a tough-luck loss after Purdue (23-8, 4-2), pushed a run across in the bottom of the sixth inning on their first two hits of the game.
But Grein's teammates had other ideas. In the top of the seventh with a runner on first, Ayanna Shaw hit a ground rule double that one-hopped the fence in left center. Taryn Ho then lofted a sacrifice fly into right that scored pinch-runner Presley Lawton from third, tying the game at 1-1. Braiesey Rosa followed with single into right that scored Shaw with the go-ahead run.
"With this team, it's like we always know we're gonna score, we're gonna find a way to get the job done, it's just a matter of when," said Grein. "So, I had no doubt that we' were gonna get it done and it was just awesome to see the joy on my teammate's face."
That was all the run support that Grein needed as she retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh – thanks in part to the Ducks' second outfield assist of the game – for her 13th victory of the season.
"Lindsay is the GOAT," said Rosa. "She's a sweet girl off the field, but on the mound she's a monster, and I think just having that mentality and having that kind of mindset on the mound really does make the batters like kind of nervous in a way.
"So I think for me catching for her, it kinda like lights this fire for me to wanna give my 100 percent behind the plate," said Rosa.
How It Happened: Both Oregon's Grein and Purdue starter Julia Gossett were brilliant on Sunday.
Neither pitcher allowed a hit through the first four innings.
"I think that nobody was going to be denied and that it was gonna take a couple of things put together by one or the other team that was gonna be the outcome," said coach Melyssa Lombardi. "I mean it was just a total pitchers' duel."
With one out in the top of the fifth, Shaw slapped a single into right for the first hit of the game. But she was erased trying to steal second.
The Ducks then had two runners reach in the top of the sixth on a walk and an error. With two outs, Elon Butler sent a ball to deep centerfield, but Purdue's Khlow Banks caught the ball with her back against the wall to deny Oregon.
Purdue recorded its first hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth, a chopper up the middle by Banks that just got over Grein's glove.
The nation's leading hitter, Moriah Polar, followed with a double just inside the third base bag to score Banks for a 1-0 lead. But the Boilermakers' rally was cut short when Polar was thrown out from left field trying to reach third on the play.
Amari Harper led off the top of the seventh with a single. She was forced at second on Stefini Ma'ake's grounder. With Purdue shifting an outfielder to second for a five-infielder look, Shaw drove a 1-0 pitch the opposite way to deep left center for a ground-rule double, giving the Ducks runners at second and third with one out.
Ho hit a fly ball on the first pitch she saw from Gossett toward the line in right, and Lawton, who came in to run for Ma'ake at third, tagged on the play and beat the throw home to tie the game at 1-1.
Rosa also went to right on a 2-1 pitch for a go-ahead line drive single that scored Shaw.
"I just think (Rosa) was not going to get denied," said Lombardi. "She knew that we needed a run and she had the confidence to put a good swing on it and hit the ball hard, and I feel like anytime she hits the ball hard, good things happen.
"I think before that too with Taryn driving in the sac fly, just kind of building up, you see those building blocks as well," said Lombardi.
An outfield assist helped Grein retire the side in order in the bottom of the seventh. After getting a fly out to left for the first out of the inning, Gossett doubled to the wall in right center. But as she made her way to third, Butler fired a strike to the cutoff player, Kaylynn Jones, who turned and delivered the ball on target to Katie Flannery at third who got the tag down for the second out of the inning.
"The defense was great," said Lombardi. "Just watching that relay develop. It was beautiful. It was fast and it was a huge out."
Grein then ended the game on another routine fly to left.
Notable: Ho's sacrifice fly in the seventh inning was the team's 20th of the season. That's fourth best in program history and only five off the school record of 25 (2015, 2025) … Flannery recorded the out at third on both outfield assists. In the sixth inning, Harper fired a ball into Ma'ake who flipped it to third to cut down the runner. In the seventh, it was Butler to Jones to Flannery for the out.
Quotable
Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi on starting pitcher Lyndsey Grein
"I love how she just worked her counts. Anytime she got two strikes, she was able to convert. I just loved her feistiness on the mound. She wanted the ball and, I just loved watching her pitch and work with her defense."
Pitcher Lyndsey Grein
Gosh, these are, these are why we play. It makes it fun, you know, I think it would be boring if every game was a blowout. You know, that's the competitive nature of this game is why we all love it. So, super fun to play in and super thankful to play with my teammates beside me."
Grein on bouncing back after Saturday's 2-1 loss
"it's just an opportunity to look in the mirror. We don't want to lose or have bad outcomes, but I think that if you don't do anything with the bad outcomes moving forward, then the whole thing was pointless to begin with. So to be able to learn from maybe things that didn't go our way, you know, that's really important and it speaks to the character of our team."
Catcher Briaesey Rosa on driving in the go-aead run
"Honestly, it was just staying calm and knowing that I have the ability to, either move the runner or score the runner like I did in the game, and I think just having that calm mindset and not thinking too big because honestly all we needed was something small. Something hard just to get the runner at third to score."
Up Next: The Ducks travel to Bloomington, Ind., for a nonconference game Monday at Indiana (2 p.m. PT, B1G+).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Grein, Lyndsey (12-3)
L: J. Gossett (9-5)
Batting:
2B: Shaw, Ayanna 1
RBI: Ho, Taryn 1 ; Rosa, Braiesey 1
SF: Ho, Taryn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lawton, Presley 1 ; Shaw, Ayanna 1
Batting:
2B: M. Polar 1 ; J. Gossett 1
RBI: M. Polar 1
Base Running:
RUNS: K. Banks 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UTIL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C/UTL
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball2026 Oregon Softball | Penn State Series Cinematic Recap
Wednesday, March 18
Melyssa Lombardi | Postgame - Penn State (Game 3)
Monday, March 16
Stefini Ma'ake | Postgame - Penn State (Game 3)
Monday, March 16
Emma Cox | Postgame - Penn State (Game 3)
Monday, March 16
