Ducks Pass the Bat in Run-Rule Win

Friday, April 10

College Park, MD

3:00 PM

University of Oregon

30-9, 0

Maryland

14-24, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Oregon	0	0	5	4	2	11	10	0
Maryland	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0

04/10/26 | Softball

Box Score #15 Oregon 11, Maryland 0

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Emma Cox and Amari Harper homered and Lyndsey Grein struck out eight in four innings as No. 15 Oregon defeated Maryland, 11-0, in five innings Friday at Maryland Softball Stadium.

The Ducks sent eight batters to the plate in their five-run third inning and nine more in the four-run fourth. Cox got Oregon on the scoreboard with a three-run home run in the third inning, while Harper capped Oregon's scoring with a two-run shot in the fifth inning.

Harper and Taryn Ho both had three hits and two RBI Friday, while Cox ended with a team-best four RBI.

Grein helped the Ducks win their 30^th game of the season by striking out eight of the 14 batters she faced. She improved to 19-5.

"She's just in a really good place right now," coach Melyssa Lombardi said of her starting pitcher. "I just love her mentality, the fierce competitor.

"I love her command of the ball and I really enjoy how well her and Emma Cox are working right now together," said Lombardi.

With the win, Oregon (30-9 overall) moved within 1.5 games of first-place Washington at 11-2 in the Big Ten. The Huskies hosted Minnesota late on Friday.

Lyndsey Grein

How It Happened: Maryland (14-25, 1-15) kept Oregon off the scoreboard the first time through the order but the Ducks would not be denied the second time around.

"We were working hard to score in the first inning and we were shut out in the first two and then opened it up in the third and the fourth, and to watch Emma, you know, she went over the fence," said Lombardi. "Just seeing what she's doing in the four spot, I've been really impressed."

In the top of the third, Kaylynn Jones walked and Harper singled ahead of Cox, who went the opposite way to right field for her fourth home run of the season.

"We didn't get what we wanted our first time around, so the second time around when I had runners on, I needed to make sure that I was hitting the ball hard and through the infield," said Cox. "That's all I was trying to do. Score those runs for my team."

Ayanna Shaw followed with her sixth triple of the season and scored on Ho's infield hit to make it 4-0. Ho stole second, then tagged and advanced to third on a fly out before coming home on a wild pitch to wrap up Oregon's five-run third.

When the Terrapins struggled to find the strike zone in the fourth inning, the Ducks capitalized on it for four runs.

Elon Butler and Jones walked and Harper dropped down a bunt base hit to load the bases. Cox walked to force in a run.

Jones came home on Shaw's sacrifice fly before Ho singled in another run to make it 8-0.

The Ducks then pulled off a successful double steal with pinch-runner Regan Legg stealing home while Ho drew a throw while stealing second.

In the fifth inning, Jones walked for the third time in the game before Harper sent her 11^th home run of the season over the netting in right center field.

"Amari is swinging extremely well right now," said Lombardi. "Her hands are just so quick and she's so explosive.

"I don't think people realize the power that she has and her ability to drive the ball," said Lombardi. "She's in a really good spot right now."

Team at Maryland

Notable: Shaw's sacrifice fly in the fourth was the team's NCAA-leading and school-record 29^th sacrifice fly of the season … Grein's win was her 49^th as a Duck, which ties her for eighth on the UO career list with Amy Harris (2003-06) and Connie McMurren (1999-02) … Shaw's six triples rank tied for third on the UO single-season list, two back of the school record (Janie Takeda, 2014) … Harper's career high in home runs is now three beyond her previous best (eight)

Quotable
Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi
"I really enjoyed what they did (on offense) in the 3rd and the 4th inning, just when we start to pass the bat, that's when this group gets really dangerous because just you start to see the power in the gaps and the balls off the fence and the home runs. So, I like what our offense is doing."

Catcher Emma Cox on Lyndsey Grein
"I love catching Lindsay and I feel like we're getting to the point where we can kind of read each other's minds, which is nice. She's been a great help to me on the mental side and on anything, so it just feels like we're kind of speaking the same language, so it's always fun."

Statistical Update:
The Big Ten and the NCAA have ruled that the correct final score of the March 28 Oregon at Northwestern game should be 7-3 in favor of Oregon, which was the score at the time the game was halted in the bottom of the seventh due to the Ducks' travel commitments. The final was initially listed as Oregon 4, Northwestern 2, which was the score at the end of the sixth inning, the last completed inning.

Statistically, what it means is that Stefini Ma'ake is credited with the home run she hit in the seventh inning, her fourth of the season. The Ducks also added another sacrifice fly from that seventh inning to their school-record total, which stood at 28 entering the weekend series with Maryland.

Up Next: Game two between Oregon and Maryland will be Saturday at 11 a.m. PT (B1G+). Sunday's game has been moved up an hour to an 8 a.m. Pacific Time start.