Author Archives | Joe Krasnowski, Sports Reporter

2025 Oregon football season preview

Perfection comes to mind when one thinks of Oregon football’s 2024 season. The Ducks were perfect in the regular season, going an impeccable 12-0, but it was bittersweet after the Ducks got trounced 41-21 by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

That brings us here: Weeks away from an August 30 kickoff against Montana State University, the Ducks will look to build upon their regular-season success while utilizing some of that playoff experience to their advantage. However, that is much easier said than done. To get back to a pivotal CFP game, the Ducks will need to capitalize on their ranked games while receiving a significant boost from their first true class of Lanning-recruited talent. Oregon likely won’t have to be perfect in 2025, but it certainly helps. 

Key Games

Sept. 27 @ Penn State

A rematch of the 2024 conference championship game, the Ducks will get to travel to Beaver Stadium and check off another box on their new(ish) conference’s hardest places to play. 

Combining the crowd, which will be fueled by the Nittany Lions’ “white out” and Penn State’s mostly-returning roster, this early-season matchup might just be the toughest one Oregon faces all year. 

Nov. 8 @ Iowa 

Without a doubt, the Ducks’ second-toughest road matchup, Oregon will travel to play against an Iowa team that is always tough to play against. Although not the flashiest, Iowa can be expected to run the ball and control the trenches. With the weather almost certainly to be a factor, the Ducks will have to be ready. 

Nov. 22 vs USC

The Ducks’ marquee home game comes late in the season against a Trojans team that struggled to adapt to the Big Ten last season. Although USC lost some of its top talent to the transfer portal last season, the unexpected can happen in rivalry games — a caveat the Ducks will have to be ready for. Regardless, a “blackout” themed fan base that hosts a significant number of students from California will be ready to cheer on their Ducks on what will likely be national television. 

Overall, the biggest matchups for Oregon are the ones not yet on the schedule. Any season in the foreseeable future that doesn’t feature a conference championship and CFP game will be viewed as a disappointment. That may sound lofty, but it’s certainly a representation of the heavyweight class the Ducks are now fighting in. 

Key returners 

Quarterback — Dante Moore 

Now instilled as the sure-fire starter, the UCLA transfer will have ample opportunity to show his growth in a year sitting under Dillon Gabriel. Although not the runner that Gabriel or Bo Nix was, Moore has NFL-caliber arm talent — something that offensive coordinator Will Stein is sure to be excited about. 

Tight End  — Kenyon Sadiq

Hurdling into the national stage late last season, Sadiq is expected to be a top option in Stein’s offense and has all types of NFL upside. 

Linebacker — Bryce Boettcher

With the fan-favorite returning for one more year, Boettcher will anchor a defense bolstered by an influx of new talent. The linebacker had 94 total tackles last season and is expected to improve upon that number in his second season as a full-time starter. 

Top newcomers

Dakorien Moore —  Wide Receiver 

A unanimous top-10 recruit in his class, Moore has some of the best run-after-catch ability in the country and is expected to contribute right away. 

Dillon Thieneman — Safety

A Purdue transfer, Thieneman was one of the best defensive backs in the country last season and should improve even more by being surrounded by top talent. 

Bear Alexander — Defensive Tackle 

Alexander should be able to fill the NFL-caliber gap that Jordan Burch and Derrick Harmon left last year. 

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No. 3 Oregon softball beats Michigan State 7-6; earns outright Big Ten regular season title

​​It wasn’t exactly the blueprint the Ducks had in mind.

An early deficit. A struggling ace. The tying run at the plate with one out remaining.

But when it mattered most Sunday afternoon, in the Ducks’ bid to win the series and conference regular season title, No. 3 Oregon made it happen — mounting a comeback to win 7-6 at Jane Sanders Stadium.

Early on, the Ducks got a poor performance from starting pitcher Lydnsey Grein, who limped through two innings of three-run ball. 

They were also blanked early on against Michigan State’s pitching staff, stranding three runners on base in the first two innings. 

Despite that, the Ducks scored five runs in the third inning, keyed by a Stefini Ma’ake homer that gave Lombardi’s squad a lead they would not relent. 

“We are very prepared,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said of her team’s outlook going forward. “We have played good teams and to see us start coming together is great.” 

“I knew that was gone,” Ma’ake said. “But I didn’t know how far, but then everyone was like ‘Oh you hit it to the tennis courts’.”

Elise Sokolsky entered for Grein and went the rest of the way, firing five innings of three-run ball and striking out six. 

“They have each other’s backs,” Kedre Luschar said of the pitching staff. “Elise was amazing today, just switching speeds. The hitters don’t know what’s coming, and they can’t guess because it all looks the same.” 

“She’s thrown the ball a lot for us,” Lombardi said of Grein. “We talk about the things we need to do to win games, and this weekend it was required for Elise to show that she could go against a team multiple times.” 

Sokolsky finished the three-game series with four earned runs over 15.2 innings of work. 

Lombardi used just two pitchers — Grein and Sokolsky — throughout the three-game series. 

“To see her work the ball down, up, change speeds, let her see her defense work for her, I thought she was brilliant this weekend,” Lombardi said. 

More runs came in the fifth and sixth innings via a solo homer from Emma Cox and an RBI triple from Luchar. 

Luschar finished the game 2-3 with a game-high three RBI’s. Oregon was 4-13 with runners in scoring position and 7-24 overall. 

“I don’t think this team has peaked,” Lombardi said. “This team knows what it takes to win as we go into games with the same mindset.” 

Michigan State fought back, with a seventh-inning solo homer cutting the lead to just one with an out remaining, but ultimately fell to lose its eighth-straight series. 

“I’m pretty confident that we are going to be here again,” Luschar said. “We are going to keep playing games together. That’s what matters most.” 

Officially clinching the outright Big Ten regular season title, the Ducks will be the No.1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, taking on the winner of Wisconsin vs Michigan on Thursday at 1:30. 

“We always talk about how Sunday is the start of our week,” Luschar said. “To be able to take today’s win into the start of the tournament is going to be big for us.”

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No. 3 Oregon wins 14-0 over Michigan State; clinches share of Big Ten

There are no must-win games in No. 3 Oregon’s (46-6, 18-3 Big Ten) regular season, but there are games in which the Ducks need to stop the bleeding.

Oregon found itself in such a situation on Sunday, as the team with the most wins in the country was in danger of losing two games to the same team for the first time all season — and choking away the Big Ten regular-season championship. 

Lucky for head coach Melyssa Lombardi’s squad, they had a human tourniquet in the form of Elise Sokolsky, who blanked the Michigan State Spartans (16-28, 6-15 Big Ten) on three hits, struck out five and walked two over five shutout innings in a 14-0 win.  

“There was no way we were losing twice in a row,” first baseman Rylee McCoy said. “We just played Oregon softball.” 

Kai and Kedre Luchar combined to go 5-6 for the Ducks, who clinched a piece of the Big Ten regular season championship with the win. With another victory Sunday, Oregon will clinch an outright conference win.

“We’re not done,” Paige Sinicki said. “This is just the beginning.”  

After Lyndsey Grein’s disappointing start a day prior, Sokolsky was a stabilizing force in the circle. She retired 15 of 19 batters and fired 47 of her 73 pitches for strikes. 

“She always has the dog in her,” Sinicki said. “ Lyndsey can’t be perfect, so for her to have her back is awesome.” 

Oregon struck early, hanging three runs on MSU in both the first and second innings with Sinicki and McCoy’s homers the biggest blasts.

“It’s so impressive,” Lombardi said of McCoy, who leads the team with 18 homers on the season. “If you saw her play you’d think she was an older athlete on the team. But to see her do this as a freshman is so impressive.” 

“I was looking for something fast,” Sinicki said. “She had thrown me two changeups and I knew she was going to throw me a fastball and I took it over the fence.” 

From there, Sokolsky’s job was easy: fill up the strike zone, limit damage and pitch as deep as possible in a game where Oregon was never really challenged. 

Another McCoy homer parlayed with an RBI walk and a pair of RBI singles helped the Ducks put the run-rule well into effect, but with the way Sokolsky was pitching, anything else was superfluous. 

“It’s crazy,” Sokolsky said. “It’s really special to see what myself and this team have gone through.It’s just God’s plan.”

After the game, the Ducks donned hats and celebrated in front of the pitchers’ circle — with fans deliriously cheering them on. 

But the celebration wasn’t over the top. 

With Saturday’s win, the Ducks will be the No.1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Oregon is also near-guaranteed to host a regional. 

The Ducks will go for a series win and the outright conference title Sunday at 1 p.m. 

“This is awesome and I know we won’t be forgetting this for a while,” Sokolsky said. “But we need to go into tomorrow with a short-term memory.”

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No. 5 Oregon softball completes sweep over Indiana with 9-7 win

In other years for other teams, a late-season trip to the Midwest could be seen as an opportunity for a let-down performance. 

That caveat did not come to fruition in No. 5 Oregon’s  (44-5, 17-2 Big Ten ) 9-7 win over Indiana  (28-16, 8-10 Big Ten). The victory capped off the Ducks’ fifth sweep of conference play — and it wasn’t easy. 

After falling behind by as many as six, Indiana came storming back within two runs to almost tie the game. It wasn’t until Staci Chambers struck out Josie Bird with two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh that Duck fans could exhale as that disaster was avoided. 

With the sun out again and the Ducks seemingly adjusted to the Midwest, Oregon got off to a blistering start Wednesday.

Four-straight singles from Rylee McCoy, Emma Cox, Stefini Ma’ake and Dez Patmon helped the Ducks get off to an early 3-0 lead. 

The Ducks tacked on one more in the second on a Kedre Luschar triple. Then, RBI knocks from McCoy and Cox in the fourth helped swell the lead even more.  

Indiana, however, eventually answered back. 

The Hoosiers scored one in the second and one in the third off starter Elise Sokolksy, before tagging Lyndsey Grein for an uncharacteristic five runs over her 1.2 innings of work. 

The reason for Grein’s struggles was simple — she just got hit hard. Of the 11 batters she faced, six reached base. She also allowed a pair of homers while striking out only two. 

On the other hand, Sokolksy and Chambers were terrific, pitching to contact and limiting damage well throughout their combined 5.1 innings. 

A seventh-inning sac-fly from Ayanna Shaw proved to be some welcomed insurance. Still, Indiana had the go-ahead and winning runs on the bases before Chambers closed out the game in dramatic fashion. 

McCoy finished the day 3-4 with a double and four RBI’s. Kai and Kedre Luschar were a combined 5-9 with four runs scored. 

The win improves the Ducks’ win total to 44, which is tied for the  best nationally. To do so they performed just enough; building, then almost blowing a sizable lead — another example of the late-game theatrics they likely have to rely on come playoff time. 

The Ducks will remain in Indiana, taking on Notre Dame (23 – 29 – 7-17 conference) Monday at 2 p.m.

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Ready to sco

For some schools, preparing their players for the next level is a cliché. For universities like Oregon, it’s a fact. 

Oregon’s ascent to the elite of college football under head coach Dan Lanning has been rapid — and there’s no one reason to diagnose why. 

Lanning and co. have been elite recruiters, landing classes near the top of the national rankings each year since his arrival. 

Lanning’s ascent has been drastic, and the result of it has been the same no matter how players have come to Eugene — attending Oregon has helped shape players for the next level better than ever.

A program record eight Ducks were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, and recently The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projected in a mock draft that 10 Ducks would be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Records continue to be broken, and with the 2025 Ducks’ team lauded as one of the most talented in Oregon history, there’s no real reason to see why that should change anytime soon. 

“We love seeing guys reach their goals and aspirations,” Lanning said after the draft in 2024. “We just talked about that. Your habits have to line up with that. But you could see a lot of guys’ habits for our team last year lined up for them to have that opportunity to get drafted.”

Those habits, combined with the elite coaching and next-level facilities that Oregon presents, have resulted in Eugene being one of the nation’s top destinations for development. 

One of those draft prospects, Marcus Harper II — a former three-star lineman from Flossmoor, Illinois, stuck to Oregon despite a coaching change and embraced the coaching he received in Eugene. Now, his bet has paid off — with the lineman projected to either be a late-round selection or a sure-fire free agent signing in the draft. 

“The coaching at Oregon is tremendous,” Harper said. “I always respected it; they are real with you and I’m a very transparent person.” 

Helping identify undervalued prospects and develop them into some of the best players in the country has been a calling card of Lanning’s as much as the NIL checkbook and recruiting prowess. 

What Lanning has done is even more remarkable when considering the implications of the current college football landscape. In a time when players are keen to quickly depart their schools in search of a bigger payday, Lanning has been able to keep his top contributors coming back year after year. 

One of those stars, four-year contributor Terrance Ferguson, stayed at Oregon and has put himself in position to be a top-round pick. 

“If you look at Lanning and what he’s done, every year we’ve had more and more people drafted,” Ferguson said to Bri Amaranthus of Sports Illustrated. “That’s not by luck or on accident. That’s the work that he’s put in with us in the classroom. Coach Lanning obviously has done a great job developing guys and bringing in new guys with the portal and getting a lot of elite talent to come to Eugene and make them better.”

There’s no foreseeable reason for this trend to slow down,  and the Eugene to NFL pipeline is growing annually. 

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Late rally pushes No.4 Oregon softball past Oregon State 5-3

No. 4 Oregon softball did all it could to lose on Wednesday night, but the Ducks won again anyway. 

A tough start from Staci Chambers and a lethargic offense both looked like they would sink the Ducks, but Oregon rallied when it needed to and picked up a comeback 5-3 win over Oregon State (17-16, 0-2 WCC).

Heading into the seventh inning down 3-2, Oregon (39-4, 12-1 Big Ten) loaded the bases with nobody out before a two-RBI single from Emma Cox gave the Ducks the lead. Then, a sac-fly from Rylee McCoy added some insurance. 

Lyndsey Grein worked in and out of a jam in the bottom of the inning to clinch the Ducks’ fourth-straight win. 

The Beavers had the runners on the corners with the winning run at the dish, but Grein got Ella Dardis to strike out swinging to end the game. 

It wasn’t quite a textbook victory for the Ducks as a pair of RBI singles from Lici Campbell and Jaeya Butler gave the Beavers an early two-run lead.  Oregon State jumped all over Chambers in the first, tagging her for three hits and reaching base via a pair of walks.  

Chambers finished with just 0.2 innings of work in her first start since returning from injury.  Some leeway should be allowed for the southpaw who missed the first half of the season, but results will be needed soon as the competition gets fiercer. 

The Ducks got their first run of the game in the fourth via an error before Emma Cox drove in a run in the fifth. 

Oregon only mustered five hits, but a restructured offense that featured Kedre Luschar batting third was able to do just enough. 

Oregon deployed four separate arms, as Elise Sokolsky (2.2 innings, one earned run) threw the majority of the innings before Taylour Spencer and Grein combined to go the rest of the way. 

The shuffling of pitchers was an excellent example of what the Ducks will need to do down the stretch to win close games against better competition. 

Still, some late-inning heroics were needed after the Beavers scored their third run of the game on a single from Morgan Howeyin the fourth inning. 

Grein allowed the first two runners in the bottom of the sixth to reach base, before retiring the next three batters to escape the jam. 

Then, the Ducks loaded the bases and pushed home the go-ahead runs to secure another close win. 

Oregon takes on No. 8 UCLA at Jane Sanders Stadium in a marquee series starting Friday. 

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No. 4 Oregon softball’s late rally leads to 5-4 win over Minnesota

A common sentiment surrounding most young teams is that they must learn how to win. Little things can often be the difference in a game, and most inexperienced teams must face that truth through the months-long slog that is a college softball season. 

While it would be unreasonable to conclude from the first two months of the season that Oregon softball’s late-game heroics will translate into the unpredictable playoffs, everything so far this season has been nonetheless encouraging.  

In No. 4 Oregon softball’s (37-4, 11-1 Big Ten) 5-4 win over Minnesota (14-24, 3-11 Big Ten), the Ducks executed when it mattered most and rode a late-inning comeback to a one-run win. 

Ayanna Shaw started the rally by hitting a double before being driven in by Emma Cox. Then, Kai Luschar singled home another run to tie the game. 

Lyndsey Grein did her part in relief, holding Minnesota to just two early runs for most of the game, and giving the Ducks’ offense plenty of time to get going. 

It took a while, but they eventually did. 

Oregon took advantage of some Minnesota miscues, scoring three seventh-inning runs on just two hits. The Ducks manufactured their other runs by scoring on a sac fly and a throwing error.

Cox’s return to the lineup for the Ducks is a massive storyline as the freshman catcher had been injured since the early weeks of the season. She was 1-1 in Friday’s series-opener and DH’d on Saturday, but her presence in the Oregon lineup is noteworthy. 

To lead for as long as they did, the Golden Gophers rode a Taylor Krapf two-run home run and a solid pitching performance from Sydney Schwartz.

But the Ducks eventually broke through and clinched their 10th-straight win against conference opponents.

Elise Sokolsky got the start and was tagged for the third-inning homer, but also reentered in relief and got the final out of the game. 

Head coach Melyssa Lombardi’s squad tallied ten hits on the day, but was just 0-6 with two outs and a pedestrian 5-17 with runners on and stranded nine runners. 

On the other hand, the Ducks did all the small things well, rotating their pitchers Grein and Sokolsky in and out at the right times. 

It took a bit more effort than Oregon would have liked — the Ducks won 13-0 against this same Golden Gophers squad a day prior — but  Lombardi’s team got it done. 

Oregon will go for the sweep on Sunday at 10 a.m.

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No. 4 Oregon softball’s scoring binge leads to 13-0 win over Minnesota

There are times like last weekend’s sweep of Michigan where No.4 Oregon softball had to  grind for wins.

Then, there are games like Friday’s 14-0 win over Minnesota (14-23, 3-10 Big Ten), in which the Ducks blitz an opponent’s starting pitcher, roll on offense, and turn a stress-free win into certainty by the fourth inning. 

Winning in softball is hard, but the Ducks (36-4, 10-1 Big Ten) continue to make it look easy against conference opponents. 

With the sun finally out, and the brutally cold Midwest temperatures warming up, the Ducks’ trip to Minnesota got off to a blistering start Friday.

They struck for seven and five runs in the fourth and fifth innings, dispatching the overmatched Golden Gophers. 

Dez Patmon helped epitomize the win as she blasted a long home run to open the scoring in the third for her 100th career RBI. 

Most of the damage came in a fourth inning where the Ducks brought 12 batters to the plate. Rylee McCoy tallied a two-RBI double that helped balloon the lead even more. 

Other offensive catalysts were Kedre Luschar (3-3 with an RBI) and Paige Sinicki (2-4). 

The scoring binge helped the Ducks win their fifth-straight series opener this season. It also helped get some freshmen in the game as head coach Melyssa Lombardi emptied her bench with the score so lopsided. 

Staked to such a big lead, Lyndsey Grein’s job was easy — throw strikes, attack hitters and minimize damage. She did all of those things, throwing four innings of shutout ball before Staci Chambers came in and threw a scoreless fifth to secure the win. 

Chambers’ scoreless inning was another positive sign for the lefty, who has slowly seen her workload increase since returning from an early-season injury. 

Both pitchers allowed just one hit apiece, and were obviously not bothered by the rare baserunners they allowed. On the other hand, Natalie Susa of Minnesota was tagged for nine earned runs in five innings of work. 

Oregon has now won nine straight against Big Ten opponents, effectively dominating the conference in the Ducks’ first year. 

Oregon was held scoreless through the first two innings, but had no trouble against Susa its second, third and fourth times through the lineup. The Ducks tallied their 12th run-rule win of the year.

Oregon wasted no time getting back to its winning ways, jumping all over the Gophers and mounting a remarkably easy win. 

Between the offensive barrage and the stalwart pitching, it was the perfect recipe for another victory. 

First pitch of game two is set for 11 a.m. Saturday. 

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No. 4 Oregon softball’s scoring binge leads to 13-0 win over Minnesota

There are times like last weekend’s sweep of Michigan where No.4 Oregon softball had to  grind for wins.

Then, there are games like Friday’s 14-0 win over Minnesota (14-23, 3-10 Big Ten), in which the Ducks blitz an opponent’s starting pitcher, roll on offense, and turn a stress-free win into certainty by the fourth inning. 

Winning in softball is hard, but the Ducks (36-4, 10-1 Big Ten) continue to make it look easy against conference opponents. 

With the sun finally out, and the brutally cold Midwest temperatures warming up, the Ducks’ trip to Minnesota got off to a blistering start Friday.

They struck for seven and five runs in the fourth and fifth innings, dispatching the overmatched Golden Gophers. 

Dez Patmon helped epitomize the win as she blasted a long home run to open the scoring in the third for her 100th career RBI. 

Most of the damage came in a fourth inning where the Ducks brought 12 batters to the plate. Rylee McCoy tallied a two-RBI double that helped balloon the lead even more. 

Other offensive catalysts were Kedre Luschar (3-3 with an RBI) and Paige Sinicki (2-4). 

The scoring binge helped the Ducks win their fifth-straight series opener this season. It also helped get some freshmen in the game as head coach Melyssa Lombardi emptied her bench with the score so lopsided. 

Staked to such a big lead, Lyndsey Grein’s job was easy — throw strikes, attack hitters and minimize damage. She did all of those things, throwing four innings of shutout ball before Staci Chambers came in and threw a scoreless fifth to secure the win. 

Chambers’ scoreless inning was another positive sign for the lefty, who has slowly seen her workload increase since returning from an early-season injury. 

Both pitchers allowed just one hit apiece, and were obviously not bothered by the rare baserunners they allowed. On the other hand, Natalie Susa of Minnesota was tagged for nine earned runs in five innings of work. 

Oregon has now won nine straight against Big Ten opponents, effectively dominating the conference in the Ducks’ first year. 

Oregon was held scoreless through the first two innings, but had no trouble against Susa its second, third and fourth times through the lineup. The Ducks tallied their 12th run-rule win of the year.

Oregon wasted no time getting back to its winning ways, jumping all over the Gophers and mounting a remarkably easy win. 

Between the offensive barrage and the stalwart pitching, it was the perfect recipe for another victory. 

First pitch of game two is set for 11 a.m. Saturday. 

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No. 4 Oregon softball’s scoring binge leads to 13-0 win over Minnesota

There are times like last weekend’s sweep of Michigan where No.4 Oregon softball had to  grind for wins.

Then, there are games like Friday’s 14-0 win over Minnesota (14-23, 3-10 Big Ten), in which the Ducks blitz an opponent’s starting pitcher, roll on offense, and turn a stress-free win into certainty by the fourth inning. 

Winning in softball is hard, but the Ducks (36-4, 10-1 Big Ten) continue to make it look easy against conference opponents. 

With the sun finally out, and the brutally cold Midwest temperatures warming up, the Ducks’ trip to Minnesota got off to a blistering start Friday.

They struck for seven and five runs in the fourth and fifth innings, dispatching the overmatched Golden Gophers. 

Dez Patmon helped epitomize the win as she blasted a long home run to open the scoring in the third for her 100th career RBI. 

Most of the damage came in a fourth inning where the Ducks brought 12 batters to the plate. Rylee McCoy tallied a two-RBI double that helped balloon the lead even more. 

Other offensive catalysts were Kedre Luschar (3-3 with an RBI) and Paige Sinicki (2-4). 

The scoring binge helped the Ducks win their fifth-straight series opener this season. It also helped get some freshmen in the game as head coach Melyssa Lombardi emptied her bench with the score so lopsided. 

Staked to such a big lead, Lyndsey Grein’s job was easy — throw strikes, attack hitters and minimize damage. She did all of those things, throwing four innings of shutout ball before Staci Chambers came in and threw a scoreless fifth to secure the win. 

Chambers’ scoreless inning was another positive sign for the lefty, who has slowly seen her workload increase since returning from an early-season injury. 

Both pitchers allowed just one hit apiece, and were obviously not bothered by the rare baserunners they allowed. On the other hand, Natalie Susa of Minnesota was tagged for nine earned runs in five innings of work. 

Oregon has now won nine straight against Big Ten opponents, effectively dominating the conference in the Ducks’ first year. 

Oregon was held scoreless through the first two innings, but had no trouble against Susa its second, third and fourth times through the lineup. The Ducks tallied their 12th run-rule win of the year.

Oregon wasted no time getting back to its winning ways, jumping all over the Gophers and mounting a remarkably easy win. 

Between the offensive barrage and the stalwart pitching, it was the perfect recipe for another victory. 

First pitch of game two is set for 11 a.m. Saturday. 

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