A 9-1 in-state battle between Oregon and Portland State ensued after a drawn-out battle between the Ducks and the University of San Diego. A quick turn around carried the late momentum from the previous game.
A single run summed up the entire first inning in favor of the Ducks. Kai Luschar struck out looking to lead off the bottom of the first, but Dezianna Patmon gained leverage on base with a walk from pitcher Grace Kimball. She soon scored off an RBI groundout from Paige Sinicki.
Luschar came back with vengeance in the bottom of the second, doubling and then adding a base off the throw to find herself at third. After that, an easy groundout to right field from Braiesey Rosa sent her home for the second run. Two more followed for the Ducks shortly after, as Kaylynn Jones made her way around the bases off a walk, steal, and wild pitch.
It was Luschar’s turn to bring someone home, and she introduced Jones to home plate for her first RBI in the game. Patmon sent a ball deep into center field for Oregon’s first home run of the night between two games, putting the Ducks up 4-0.
Portland State faced the wrath of Taylour Spencer, who pitched four 1-2-3 frames through five innings. Through this, Portland State was able to find a way to break in their offense, as Alison Harris reached first base off an error by Jones. A fielder's choice put her out at second, but allowed Jade Henry to find herself on base.
Neveah Smith came two batters later, and tripled down the left field line to send Henry home. It was PSU’s only run of the night.
A Katie Flannery RBI single in the bottom of the third was just a preview of the show Oregon would put on in the fourth inning. The three-run inning began with a home run from freshman Rylee McCoy, her eighth of the season.
“I’ve hit a couple of home runs so far this season, but that was by far one of my favorites,” McCoy said about her homer against the Vikings.
By this point, Portland State had two pitching changes, but the Ducks still found success on the plate. A bunt and a steal put Sinicki in scoring position, making it easy for Luschar to pick up her second RBI of the game. It sent pinch runner Elyse Kresho home from an unearned run.
The Vikings could not find a way around Spencer, who finished the game pitching all six innings, only giving up two hits, a single run, a walk, no errors and a season high eight strikeouts. She threw 84 total pitches.
Oregon was able to put it away in the bottom of the 6th inning, with the freshman pair of McCoy and Stefini Ma’ake putting up a single and a double. Katie Flannery walked off the game with an RBI single to third base, and pinch runner Presley Lawton scored the final run of the night.
The Duck’s second win of the Oregon Classic differed from the first one. While the first game featured spurts of success from the bats, Oregon was able to consistently provide offensive production throughout all but one inning. Luschar took it as a positive rather than a negative thing for the team.
“It’s about knowing that even when we’re down we’re never out,” Luschar said. “And when we’re up, we stay on top.”
The Oregon Classic continues on Saturday for the Ducks as they face off against San Diego for the second time within 24 hours, followed by a matchup against Loyola Chicago.