By Dylan Farrell

The No. 13 Oregon Ducks fell to the No. 24 Utah Utes for the third consecutive game on Sunday, bringing Oregon’s regular season to an end with a stinging sweep that made its path to a Pac-12 Tournament win and hosting an NCAA regional significantly more difficult. Utah pitcher Mariah Lopez delivered Oregon its first no-hit game all year alongside its first-ever shutout at Jane Sanders Stadium.

Sunday’s game was arguably the most important of the year for the Ducks, as Oregon was fighting for a potential 3-seed in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament. If both Oregon and Washington won – an outcome that looked more than possible, as Washington already led Stanford 3-0 by the time the first pitch was thrown at the Jane – Washington would secure second in the conference. Oregon, then having one more win in conference play than both Stanford and Utah, would secure third. More importantly, the 3 seed would set the Ducks up to play Cal – a much easier matchup for the Ducks than Stanford, Washington or Utah, all of which were still in the mix for the conference’s second seed.

The first inning set the tone for the game after both teams went three up, three down to bat, despite Terra McGowan’s best efforts. McGowan gave Duck fans hope early on as the third batter up when she hit a fly into deep left field that was robbed by Utes right fielder Sophie Jacquez, who jumped over the fence to make the catch.

Both teams showed signs of offensive life over the next two innings. The second remained scoreless despite another dep ball from the Ducks that left fans wanting. Tehya Bird made hard contact, driving the ball into deep left with two runners on base, but the ball went just foul. Bird eventually struck out swinging to close the inning.

In the top of the third, umpires made a controversial ball call with no outs and a Utah runner, Abby Dayton, on first. Utah’s Kaylie Davison moved to bunt and appeared to tip the ball away from Oregon catcher Terra McGowan. The home plate umpire ruled the pitch a ball, allowing Dayton to advance to second on a pitch that was called errant. Davison then hit a successful sacrifice bunt that moved Dayton to third, followed by a sacrifice fly from Haley Denning that brought Dayton home. Aliya Belarde hit a solo home run on the next at bat, giving the Utes a 2-run lead that eventually doomed the Ducks.

Oregon was unable to respond in the bottom of the frame, quickly going 1-2-3 at the plate.

Both teams engaged in a defensive slugfest for the remainder of the game, and neither was able to score, often struggling to reach base. Oregon went on a stretch that saw just one batter reach base after the second inning. Utah likewise failed to score after its big second inning, coasting off its early success to close out its win off the back of Lopez’s strong performance.

Oregon will face off against Stanford next weekend in the Pac-12 Tournament, where it will look to go on a run to secure higher seeding for NCAA Regionals.