EUGENE, Ore. — The postseason atmosphere was electric at Jane Sanders Stadium as a sea of green and yellow welcomed the No. 4 Oregon Ducks at the opening round of the NCAA Regionals. The Ducks (40-12) faced the Idaho State Bengals (37-18) Friday night to start Oregon’s weekend off in an anticipated rematch. The previous encounter at the Oregon Classic saw the Ducks force extra innings, which ended with a walk-off by Elon Butler in the bottom of the eighth to secure a 4-3 victory. The game had a similar outcome — even with an early lead, the Bengals were unable to hold on, as the Ducks took the win 5-1.
“We’ve had to take on strain at different times of the year,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said of ace Lyndsey Grein being out for the game. “We watch these guys take it on for her, and they're ready to go. We always talk about putting on strain, and it’s not negative, so that’s a blessing to have the opportunity to take on strain for each other.”
Idaho State wasted no time making its presence known. Bengals opener Alyssa Yee ignited the offense with a lead-off double against Oregon’s starting pitcher Taylour Spencer. Moments later, Ava Brown drove a single into the outfield, bringing Yee home to put Idaho State on the board first. After another single threatened the Ducks, Lombardi called a circle visit. The reset paid off as Spencer quickly locked in, dialing back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam and limit the damage to a single run as the inning ended 1-0.
“I loved Taylour setting the tone,” Lombardi said. “We gave up one run in the first inning. You know it’s going to happen, but what I love is how she got out of the jam and just got better.”
The Ducks looked ready to strike in the bottom of the third as the momentum drastically shifted in their favor. With only one out, Oregon loaded the bases to set the stage for Emma Cox. However, the Bengals’ defense refused to fall under the pressure as they executed a clutch double play to escape the bases-loaded jam unscathed, keeping their 1-0 lead.
Oregon found itself in a similar position in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with no outs as the offense threatened to break the game open. Ayanna Shaw delivered the definitive moment of the night, launching a grand slam into the outfield stands to ignite the home crowd and rocket Oregon into the lead.
“I think it’s such a blessing to be able to have our fans in moments like this,” Sokolsky said. “I don’t think any other school experiences it like this, as we do at The Jane. I mean, we call it the Lion’s Den for a reason, so whenever we say Janesanity, it truly is. I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else.”
The Ducks' offense was relentless as the bases became loaded for a second time in the inning, mirroring the third. Cox redeemed her earlier at-bat, lifting a sacrifice fly deep enough for Katie Flannery to race home. The five-run frame finally drew to a close, leaving the Ducks in control with a 5-1 advantage.
Elise Sokolsky was dynamic out of the bullpen after taking the circle in relief of Spencer in the fourth. Sokolsky completely stifled the Bengals’ offense, retiring all eight batters she faced while racking up five strikeouts. Three of those strikeouts came in the sixth inning to keep Idaho State locked down. With Sokolsky dealing in the circle, the Ducks moved within three outs of securing the victory.
“We always talk about taking it one game at a time,” Sokolsky said. “That was my main priority tonight, I was just trying to think of what was needed to get us back in the dugout on each screen.”
With three outs to go, a diving catch by Flannery gave the Ducks one out away from winning the game as Idaho State fought to continue the game. Sokolsky ended the game with a strikeout as the crowd erupted and Oregon took the win 5-1.
“I think our mindset stays the same,” Lombardi said. “It’s been a solid year. We talked about being one now and taking one game at a time, one pitch at a time.”
The Ducks play again Saturday, May 16th, on Day 2 of the Regional in the winners' bracket against Mississippi State, with the start time set for 2 PM.