Something rare happened on Sunday afternoon at Jane Sanders stadium.
For the first time in three years, the Oregon softball program left a Pac-12 series without winning it. Combine Friday’s 16-6 loss with today’s 4-1 loss to No. 16 UCLA, the No. 4 Ducks have lost their first Pac-12 series since the 2013 season.
Over that three year span, Oregon (27-6, 7-2 Pac-12) had won 25 consecutive Pac-12 series and had been crowned conference champions every year since 2013.
Sunday was the rubber match between the Ducks and Bruins but only UCLA (22-11-1, 4-3-1 Pac-12) showed up to play. The Ducks scored one run on three hits and left three batters on base while UCLA scored four runs on 10 hits and left 12 runners on base.
“We’re still one of the top hitting teams in the country. We know that and we know we can hit,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “What’s the trouble with the power — we got to hunt and find answers.”
The Oregon offense struggled to find a groove all game long. UCLA pitcher Paige McDuffee shut down the Oregon offense to the tune of one hit and two strikeouts over 6.2 innings. The left-hander consistently kept Oregon off-balance with a power fastball and changeup. When the Ducks did make solid contact with the ball, centerfielder Alexis Bennett and shortstop Delaney Spaulding made all the plays to keep the Ducks from a big inning.
“They [UCLA] played really good defense, I think they outplayed us [Oregon] in all three areas of the game,” White said. “They limited our power game — some of it can be attributed to their pitching balance but defensively, they really played well.”
The Ducks appeared poised to score in the bottom of the first inning when Nikki Udria and Koral Costa hit back-to-back singles with one out. After a walk to Geri Ann Glasco loaded the bases, the Bruins brought in McDuffee. Hailey Decker had a chance to put Oregon on the board but she lined out to first base as Glasco was caught off guard and got doubled up on the play.
Over the next six innings, the Ducks went down in order in five of the innings.
“[Our] 4, 5, 6 and 7 hitters were pretty inconsistent this weekend, I was a little disappointed in their performance as a group,” White said.
Oregon got on the board in the third when Danica Mercado, who singled earlier in the inning, scored from second base on a Costa fielder’s choice and Bruins error.
Freshman pitcher Megan Kleist got the unusual start in the rubber match and lasted just 1.1 innings after giving up three runs on five hits, including back-to-back solo blasts to start the second inning.
Cheridan Hawkins came on in relief of Kleist and threw the next 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits with five walks and six strikeouts.
“She shows those flashes of the Cheridan of old and then all of a sudden the wheels fall off pretty quickly,” White said. “We’re sticking with her because we know she can do it… this is a test for her to see what happens and whether she can turn the corner and continue to help this team.”
In the top of the seventh inning, between Hawkins and Glasco in the pitcher’s circle, the Bruins were able to load the bases with no outs. White brought Kleist back in the game and she calmly struck out the first batter she faced and got the next to line out into a double play and end the inning.
“She [Kleist] came back in a really tough situation and just did a great job, especially with a hitter who hit her pretty well this weekend,” White said. “I was very pleased with the way she came back in.”
Oregon returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts a doubleheader with Portland State at 3 p.m. at Jane Sanders Stadium.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka