EUGENE, Ore. — The No. 18 Oregon Ducks opened the Jane Sanders Classic with a pair of wins against the Oregon State Beavers and the Sacramento State Hornets on Friday afternoon at Jane Sanders Stadium.
Game 1: Oregon 8, Oregon State 3
Left fielder Amari Harper went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, and four RBIs, helping the Ducks (17–6) overcome an early deficit at home and extend their winning streak to eight games with an 8–3 win over the Oregon State Beavers (9–15).
The Ducks found themselves trailing early after Beaver second baseman, Jaeya Butler, roped a double, and found herself at third after a fielding error by shortstop Taryn Ho. Right fielder Morgan Howey drove in a pair with a two-run home run.
The Ducks have now beaten their in-state rivals twice in as many days, as they defeated the Beavers 11–3 on Wednesday in Corvallis.
Oregon right-hander Elise Sokolsky (3–1) rebounded from a shaky start by settling in nicely, finishing 4 ⅓ innings and allowing only three runs on four hits while striking out four batters.
Center fielder Ayanna Shaw knotted the game at three apiece for the Ducks with a two-out triple to right, scoring Katie Flannery, who reached on a walk.
Designated player Stefini Ma’ake finished the game 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, two runs, and an RBI. She exited the game in the bottom of the fourth for a pinch runner, but saw one more at bat in the sixth inning.
Rylee McCoy drove in two more for the Ducks as a pinch hitter for Ho, scoring Elon Butler and Regan Legg.
Oregon led 7–3 after four innings.
Butler extended her hitting streak to 12 games with a bloop single into shallow right field. She was driven in on Harper’s third hit of the game.
Right-hander Lyndsey Grein lowered her season ERA to 2.07 after retiring all eight batters she faced in relief of Sokolsky, who was credited with the win on Friday evening.
The Ducks have set themselves up with an opportunity to sweep the Beavers, with one more matchup between the two teams set for April 22.
Game 2: Oregon 7, Sacramento State 6
A three-run sixth inning, Butler extending her hit streak to 13 games with a home run, and Grein making one of the best relief appearances you’ll see, was what it took for Oregon to ignite a come-from-behind win over the Sacramento State Hornets (17–5) on Friday night.
The Ducks found themselves down 6–3 at the end of the third inning, and it stayed like that all the way to the fifth.
Oregon right-hander Taylour Spencer was chased from the game af only making it 2 ⅔ innings and allowing six runs on as many hits. The Hornets put up a pair of consecutive three-run frames, and the outcome looked to be in doubt.
“You just see the power that these guys can produce throughout the lineup,” Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “I really appreciate that with them.”
Lombardi turned to her ace, Grein, in the third inning. Grein had already seen a relief appearance earlier in the day against the Oregon State Beavers, where she retired all eight batters faced.
Grein (8–3) pitched 4 ⅓ innings and allowed only a single baserunner. She finished the night allowing no runs, striking out eight, and ended the game by retiring 13 of the final 14 batters faced.
“My job is to have my teammates' backs,” Grein said. “Regardless if I am relieving or starting, that’s the approach I have going into it.”
Ducks’ second baseman Kaylynn Jones drove in three runs, a two-RBI single that gave Oregon the lead in the sixth, and a solo home run in the third to keep them within striking distance.
“Just knowing that you’re there for your team, whether it's the outcome you want or not,” Jones said. “We all have each other’s backs. Everybody supports everybody, which I feel is a big thing for this group. All we want to do is play together.”
Ma’ake drove in two more with a two-RBI single in the first inning.
Kennedie Bacon pitched six innings for the Hornets, allowing seven runs on ten hits with three strikeouts. Bacon threw 113 total pitches on the night, 65 for strikes, and was charged with the loss.
What’s Next:
Oregon vs. Nevada, 3:30 p.m. PT