Author Archives | Joe Krasnowski, Sports Writer

No.8 Oregon softball surges past Washington 5-2

The game began under stormy skies. It ended even more ominously for the home team. 

Due to a game scheduled for Saturday being postponed due to rain, No. 8 Oregon softball was forced to wait 24 hours before eventually disposing of Washington 5-2 on Montlake. 

A day removed from their starts, both starting pitchers — Elise Sokolsky for Oregon and former Duck Stevie Hansen for UW — returned to the circle on Sunday. It certainly wasn’t the start that everyone envisioned, but ultimately, No. 8 Oregon (28-2, 2-0 Big Ten) got back to doing what it had throughout this season: disposing of inferior opponents. 

As has been the case of late, superb starting pitching parlayed with just enough offense was the Ducks’ winning recipe. The bottom six of Oregon’s lineup recorded just one hit, but the middle of the order paved the way to victory. 

Oregon’s 93.3 winning percentage is nearly .70 points better than any other team in the Big Ten Conference.

The Ducks were led by a superb start from Sokolsky, who continues to establish herself as one of the best arms in the conference. Over 4.2 innings of two-run ball, she struck out four batters and allowed just four hits. She didn’t surrender a knock until the fourth inning when UW’s (20-9) Alexis Deboer led off with a single. 

Katie Flannery and Rylee McCoy continued their hot start to the series by slapping back-to-back RBI doubles in the third to open the scoring. Both sluggers are now 8-14 in the Ducks’ two games of conference play. 

The Ducks were just 1-7 leading off innings and struck out seven times, but it wouldn’t matter in a game they were never really in any danger of losing. 

More runs came in the fifth when Flannery extended the Ducks’cushion with a two-run homer off Hansen. 

UW’s two runs came in the fifth when Jadyn Glab plated both herself and Gabi Toney with a two-run homer. Lyndsey Grein (three strikeouts) then entered for Sokolsky and held UW hitless across her 2.1 innings of relief work. 

Oregon stole its 100th bag of the season in game 28. The Ducks stole 90 bases in 51 games last season. 

Game two of the doubleheader is set for 2:30 as the Ducks go for the rivalry sweep.

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No.8 Oregon softball dominates Washington in 9-0 series-opening win

When the No. 8 ranked Ducks (25-2, 1-0 Big Ten) were playing in the opening weeks of the season, they were fueled by the energizing power of belief — the knowledge that they could win on any night. Even when they weren’t at their best, a mixture of energy, toughness and execution got them through the finish line.

Now at the start of Big Ten play, head coach Melyssa Lombardi’s squad has slowly gotten healthier and more experienced — two more elements that have helped turn stress-free wins, like Friday’s 9-0 pummeling of Washington (20-7, 0-1 Big Ten), into somewhat of a regular affair. 

In her return from injury, Rylee McCoy blasted a homer and added three hits for Oregon, which was never really challenged by its rivals on Montlake. 

Lyndsey Grein threw six shutout innings for the Ducks, whose list of reasons for optimism seems to grow by the day. 

They’re close to being back to full strength. They’re getting excellent contributions from the top of the lineup, and they continue to attack lineups that seemingly have no chance against Grein. 

On a day when Oregon’s three and four hitters — McCoy and Katie Flannery —  combined to go 5-6 with three homers and seven RBIs, Grein showed why any run support at all could be considered superfluous. 

She fanned 11 batters and allowed just five baserunners. The only real threat she faced was after back-to-back walks in the sixth, but she struck out one batter and got the next to fly out.

Offensively, the Ducks jumped on the Huskies’ pitching staff, tagging UW for 13 hits. A Kedre Luschar double followed by a Stefini Ma’ake sac-fly opened the scoring before the first of Flannery’s two homers of the day helped the Ducks add on. 

Oregon led 4-0 before the Huskies tallied a hit. 

Staked to that big early lead, Grein was able to do what she has throughout her young Oregon career — deal. She picked up her 14th win of the season and lowered her ERA to 0.85. The right-hander struck out all but one of UW’s starting nine. 

Flannery and McCoy went back-to-back in the fifth before two RBI walks in the sixth helped Oregon end the game an inning early with the run-rule in effect. 

Even against one of the hottest teams in the nation — UW entered winners of 14-straight — the Ducks continue to March on. They’ll go for a Game Two win on Saturday at noon.

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Lyndsey Grein deals again in No.12 Oregon’s 3-1 win over Abilene Christian

Lyndsey Grein continues to give No.12 Oregon that feeling.

The feeling that every time she takes the ball, the team will get a quality start. That whenever she enters the circle, a string of zeros will follow. That, most importantly, on days she pitches, the Ducks (24-2) will be positioned to win.

Sunday was indeed another of those days of dominance, with Grein dazzling in a five-inning shutout start to guide Oregon past the Abilene Christian Wildcats 3-1 at the Jane. 

The commanding showing lowered her ERA to 0.93 over 70 innings. It’s her 13th scoreless outing out of 19 appearances. 

It was against a severely overmatched opponent (ACU entered 4-19). Still, Grein and the Ducks’ performances of late certainly haven’t gone unnoticed.

“Our cap is wherever we put it,” Grein said. “This weekend was super exciting.”

Grein pounded the strike zone throughout, and the only real trouble she faced was of her own doing — a ball kicked off her glove in the fourth and was ruled an error. 

Everything else was dominance — her offense would need it. 

The Ducks struggled offensively, tallying just one hit — a Katie Flannery double to right — over the first four innings. 

Kaylynn Jones was a spark plug of sorts for the Ducks, scratching the first run across the board after some baserunning savvy helped her score on a Braiesey Rosa sac-fly. Jones then drove in the third and final run of the day on a swinging bunt in the sixth.

Rosa — who hit a two-run home run on Friday — continued her hot weekend, blasting a solo homer in the fifth over the netting in deep left field. 

“It’s been awesome to see her succeed,” Grein said of Rosa. “She’s an awesome teammate, an awesome friend and obviously an awesome athlete.”

Aside from those two, there was little other offensive intrigue in an otherwise lethargic showing for the Ducks — something that could be expected for a team coming off a top-10 win and largely favored in its second game of the day. 

Elise Sokolsky entered in the fifth and was dominant in two innings of work. She evaded an unlucky error which resulted in the Wildcats’ lone run. After a complete game in her first outing of the day, she finished the doubleheader with nine total innings pitched — none of which included an earned run. 

“I thought they both shoved,” Lombardi said of Grein and Sokolsky. “I thought they both went out and executed.” 

Kai Luschar made up for that seventh-inning error by ending the game with a diving grab in left. 

“I was working hard out there for my team because I know they are working hard for me,” Sokolsky said.

The win caps off Oregon’s remarkably successful slate of games before conference play. 

All of that, however, has been made possible by Grein’s performance on the mound — even if the pitcher often immediately credits any personal accomplishment to her peers. 

“We are so bought in here, we don’t pay attention to any outside noise…we still have a lot to accomplish,” Grein said.

Kedre Luschar extended her hit-streak to 12, the longest for any Duck since Allee Bunker who had an 18-game streak in 2022.

The Ducks will look to get a little healthier over a week of practice before opening Big Ten play with a series on Friday in Washington (19-7).

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Resurgent No.12 Oregon blanks No.8 Florida State 1-0

Oregon softball is going to fight every game in spite of injuries and emotional costs.

The Ducks flexed that fight with a gutsy 1-0 win over No. 8 Florida State on Sunday.

None of it was easy, but for the 17th time in 18 games, the Ducks (23-2) found enough. 

Elise Sokolsky’s complete-game two-hitter was the big reason why. She threw 57 of 84 pitches for strikes and allowed just the two baserunners — those numbers basically copied and pasted in from Lyndsey Grein’s shutout of the Seminole’s Friday night. And, she did it with Oregon’s second-string backstop behind the dish. 

Injured last week, opening-day catcher Emma Cox is still in a sling. After playing on Friday, first baseman Rylee McCoy disappeared from the Ducks’ lineup with an injury both Saturday and in Sunday’s 1-0 win over No.8 Florida State (20-5). 

Missing key stars, the Ducks crumbled in a late loss to rival Oregon State

And Sunday, they again played Florida State — a team whose perennial success has been built on the backs of the same high-motor, win-at-all-costs softball that No.12 Oregon has played recently to rise to the top of the Big Ten.  

The Ducks entered this fight without Cox and McCoy, dipping into reserves to fill roles throughout. 

It wouldn’t matter.

FSU advanced a runner past first just once— a true testament to Sokolsky’s dominance. 

Trying to scratch more runs across, head coach Melyssa Lombardi was aggressive throughout. But the Seminoles seemingly had an answer for everything Oregon did offensively. 

FSU pitchers combined to strikeout four over six innings of work and catcher Michaela Edenfield threw out a pair of baserunners. However, Oregon made sure only one stat ended up mattering, scoring the game’s lone run in the fifth on a Braiesey Rosa single to left. 

A large contingent of FSU fans will go home disappointed — the Seminoles mustered just three hits over 14 offensive innings against the Ducks. 

Dez Patmon and Kai Luschar both tallied a pair of hits, but it was Oregon’s reserves that carried the Ducks in the little things. Rosa had the pivotal hit and was behind the dish for Sokolsky’s gem. Abby Steffen was a solidifying force defensively at first base. 

FSU, which was held without an extra-base hit for just the second time this year — the other was Friday against the Ducks — battled throughout. The Seminoles’ best chance came with two outs in the fifth with a runner on, but Jaysoni Beachum’s long fly ball went foul, and she was retired three pitches later. 

Oregon will look to continue its celebratory ways against Abilene Christian (4-19). First pitch is set for 5 p.m.

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Lyndsey Grein deals in No.12 Oregon softball’s 2-0 win over No. 8 Florida State

16 wins. 

No. 12 Oregon softball has won 16 consecutive times since an extra-innings loss to Arizona State on February 13.

The Ducks rebounded and won five in a row in Tempe. They(22-1) went toe-to-toe with the nation’s best at the Mary Nutter Classic making it 10-straight. Then, Oregon came home and did more of the same at the Jane. And Friday, where a home letdown against a top-ranked team felt like a possibility, they bested No. 8 Florida State (19-4) 2-0. 

It continues the Ducks’ best start since 2021. 

“It’s great that our fans get to see what we have been doing on the road the last four weeks,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. 

Energy and complacency were never issues for Oregon on Friday, not with Lyndsey Grein every bit as-advertised against yet another quality opponent. Not with Braiesey Rosa getting an impressive crowd of 1,914 on their feet with a second-inning, two-run homer. Not with the Ducks making big play after big play and not with Oregon, once again, playing with the kind of full-throttle effort that has it off to the best start in the Big Ten. 

“It was awesome, it was so cool,” Grein said of the crowd. “It was something that I’ll always remember.” 

Grein threw 66 of 100 pitches for strikes en route to a seven-inning one-hitter. And as much as her strikeout stuff knocked Florida State back early, her pitching to contact put the Seminoles away late. The win improves her record to 12-0. 

“I love the way she just manages her business out there,” Lombardi said.

“I just like to take things one pitch at a time,” Grein said. “When I look at the big picture, I can get overwhelmed, so looking at it one pitch at a time, one out at a time has worked good for me.” 

Rosa, who entered on the heels of her first-career hit last weekend, got her first-career homer Friday night. She blasted a 1-0 fastball from Annabelle Widra (3.1 innings pitched, two earned runs) over the right-center wall in the second frame. 

“I was kinda shocked when I was going around first,” Rosa said of her mindset after the homer.

Fittingly, the battery of Rosa and Grein were the two catalysts for the Ducks win. Oregon, still without opening-day catcher Emma Cox, got all of its offense from Rosa’s homer. 

“She did outstanding,” Grein said of Rosa. “Obviously offensively, but everything… she made me look way too pretty tonight.” 

Oregon’s other big offensive threat came in the fourth when Kedre Luschar and Rosa reached second and third with one out in the fourth, but a baserunning blunder and a strikeout ended the threat. 

“I felt like the momentum could have shifted a bit there,” Lombardi said.

With the way Grein was pitching, it wouldn’t matter. 

She allowed just the one hit — a one-out single in the first — and aside from a walk, was otherwise perfect. Any hard contact she let up was immediately corralled by her defenders. 

Widra and Ashtyn Danley (2.2 innings pitched, three strikeouts) quieted Oregon’s bats well, but on the other side of the ball, the Ducks flew around the field and were terrific behind Grein. 

“Our offense and our defense just fed off of eachother,” Lombardi said. “I love that our defense does the things that they do, it takes pressure off our pitching and helps out our offense as well.” 

No one on the field compared to Grein, who, since coming to Oregon, has continued to establish herself as one of the best pitchers in the country.  

“I’m so thankful for coach Lombardi,” Grein said. “When she’s in the dugout, it feels like she’s right behind me doing it with me. She’s helped me a ton both with the physicality of the game and the mental side of the game.” 

The Ducks take on Oregon State Saturday at 3:30.

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Sloppy start plagues No.8 Oregon in blowout 78-62 Big Ten Tournament loss to No.9 Indiana

In a game that only felt like March because of the date, Oregon women’s basketball was unable to push through many of the shortcomings that might consign this team to a short postseason.

Spotty guard play led to a turnover spree and a flurry of missed jump shots. All while Indiana (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten) seemingly couldn’t miss. 

Even with so many things working against them — not to mention a “neutral site” game less than an hour from Indiana’s campus — the Ducks (19-11, 10-9 Big Ten) found themselves within six in the third quarter of their 78-62 Big Ten Tournament loss to the Hoosiers. 

That’s when the bedrock of Oregon’s success this season fell through when it mattered most. 

The Ducks couldn’t get defensive stops over the final minutes of the loss to the No. 9 seeded Hoosiers. The defeat continued another troublesome trend of late slippage for a team once ranked among the best in the country. 

Any chance of the Ducks’ first postseason win in two years slipped away when eight second-half turnovers compounded into a long scoring drought. 

Indiana will advance to face No.1 seed USC. It’s the Hoosiers’ 10th-straight year reaching the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. 

Indiana will look to dial up more of what gave it success on Thursday. Keyed by Yarden Garzon (18 points, 4-7 from 3) The Hoosieers finished the game an impressive 11-25 from range. Indiana is 9-0 this season when hitting 10-or-more 3’s. 

Peyton Scott and Ehis Etute tallied 16 and 14 points respectively, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the start of the game — one that couldn’t have gone any worse for the Ducks.

Indiana was 5-10 from 3 before Oregon had even attempted a shot from range. 

The Ducks kept things close by starting to settle in on offense, they even trailed by as few as six after Deja Kelly’s jumper rattled in with three minutes left in the third. 

But Indiana went on a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter and Oregon went scoreless for over four minutes — two caveats that helped the score become as lopsided as it was. 

Compounding her team’s problems, Kelly played poorly throughout. She finished the game 2-11 from the field and was a non-factor down the stretch. 

But a far bigger issue was the defense, which has gone from a constant to a serious question mark with the absence of Elisa Mevius — who had season-ending hand surgery. Indiana’s 3-point shooting built the lead, and the Ducks’ lackluster offense and turnovers helped solidify the blowout. 

The good news for the Ducks? Oregon is still a sure-thing entrant into the NCAA Tournament. Even with the loss, a 10 or 11 seed seems likely for the Ducks who will find out their fate on March 16. 

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Oregon softball surges to best start in years

A strong showing for a pair of Oregon softball players featured a new, coveted designation: best in the country.

Two days after the Ducks wrapped up their undefeated 5-0 Mary Nutter Classic, Lyndsey Grein was honored as the NFCA National Pitcher of the Week. Rylee McCoy’s performance was also honored, bringing home D1 Softball’s National Freshman of the Week honors. 

Grein, the NCAA leader with nine wins this season, and McCoy, who has been a staple at the top of the Ducks’ lineup and is tied for second in the Big Ten with seven home runs by late February, both took home the Big Ten’s weekly honors as best pitcher and best freshman. 

Perhaps no two players better represent the Ducks’ recent surge than McCoy and Grein. Both newcomers have filled their roles with ease, helping add some stability to a team that lost seven seniors a year ago. 

Oregon’s hype train was already rolling after the Ducks lost just one game — in extra innings — over their first pair of weekends. But, the Mary Nutter Classic provided a different kind of challenge for them to prove their mettle. 

Over that undefeated weekend, Oregon defeated five teams that played in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

“I love this team,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “I love the way they compete. The hard work they’ve been putting in they’re starting to reap the harvest. They’re starting to understand their identity. This was a big weekend for us.”

Grein and McCoy have certainly been lauded for their strong performances, but the rest of the roster has included its fair share of breakouts, as well. 

Other freshmen Stefini Ma’ake and Emma Cox — who were both named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week in weeks prior — have been terrific at the top of the Ducks’ lineup. Elise Sokolsky has built upon her strong 2024 with a 2.92 ERA in the circle through three tournaments. 

At 15-1, the Ducks are off to their best start since 2021 (24-1), while playing all 16 of their first games on the road. Oregon will look to continue its hot start at home, hosting tournaments starting Feb. 28 and March 7. 

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No.14 Oregon softball bounces back from slow start to thrash Loyola Chicago 9-1

Maybe it wasn’t the storyline everyone expected, but it was still a storyline nonetheless. A college softball season is numerous chances for a player or a team to do something special. Whether it’s two pitchers hitting the 300-career strikeout mark on the same day, or a random Sunday game that didn’t feature either of them. 

It was the general consensus that No.14 Oregon softball (20-1) would dominate from start to finish in its 9-1 win over Loyola Chicago (3-15). After all, Loyola Chicago had just lost by eight to a San Diego team the Ducks had beaten twice in days prior. 

Instead, the Ramblers — who were playing in their fifth game in three days half a continent away from home — looked to give the Ducks a real challenge, and did so for at least half the game. Leading by one three innings into the game and holding Oregon to just one baserunner, Loyola Chicago fought valiantly. 

But ultimately, the Ducks put the ball in play and forced the Ramblers to make plays — something that a team with 31 errors in 17 games wasn’t able to do.  

Keyed by a Katie Flannery grounder to third that turned into a three-run error, the Ducks scored three runs in the fourth inning. The onslaught continued after with three runs coming in the fourth and six in the fifth. Oregon’s powerful offense ended up run-ruling a team that had them on small upset watch just innings prior. 

“We know we can put away a team in five,” Taylour Spencer said. 

As lackluster as Oregon’s offense was for the first half of Sunday’s game, Spencer was fantastic throughout in the circle. She fired five innings of one-run ball in relief — freshman Rowan Thompson started the game for the Ducks, walking both batters she faced and throwing just one strike.

Spencer’s one blemish on the day came in the second when Ramblers’ shortstop Alli Pawlowicz, left the yard. Other than that, she was spectacular, firing 38 of her 63 pitches for strikes. Her season ERA now rests at 0.72. 

“I was mad at the time but I told myself when she came up next time I was gonna strike her out and I did,” Spencer said.

“I know my best can beat anyone,” Spencer added. “Just going after batters, knowing that I don’t have to pitch around batters and that if I hit a spot and spin it I can get a swing and miss.”

Kai Luschar was 3-4 with a stolen base in the leadoff spot. Stefani Ma’ake tallied a pair of hits of her own and scored a run. 

“The speed on our team is like none other,” Ma’ake said. “Coming in I was like ‘if I can’t have speed, I need to at least hit the ball hard.’”

Still, for a good portion of Sunday’s affair, the Ramblers looked like they might reprise the role of a legitimate upset candidate. But eventually, Loyola Chicago started to crack and the Ducks’ offense clicked into gear. A pair of homers from Dez Patmon and Kedre Luschar (2-3, one stolen base and three RBI’s) put the game way out of reach. 

“Kedre had one of the best weekends I’ve seen a player have,” associate head coach Sam Marder said. “I know she was the MVP of our tournament for sure.” 

It wasn’t a particularly inspiring complete-game performance from the Ducks, who picked up their 15th win in a row. Still, some forgiveness may be in order for a team that finished the game with 11 hits and nine runs on the day once the dam finally broke. 

“We were just chipping away, chipping away,” Marder said. “Second, third time through the order I felt like we were in a good spot.” 

“I thought we did a great job this weekend, especially without our head coach,” Marder said. “We are at our best with her… but it was good overall,” 

Oregon stays home next weekend to host a Jane Sanders Classic slate that includes Oregon State and Florida State.

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No. 14 Oregon softball breezes past San Diego 6-0

There are days the Ducks have to grind out wins, the way they did against the San Diego Toreros on Friday to grab a tight, comeback victory. 

Then, there are days like Saturday’s matinee against that same Toreros squad when No.14 Oregon (17-1) attacks an opposing pitcher, takes a sizable early lead, then shifts into cruise control, turning stress-free wins into somewhat of a routine affair early on this season.

Indeed, the Ducks’ 6-0 Saturday win over San Diego (8-13) featured all of those familiar, one-sided hallmarks. 

Oregon exploded for three runs in the second inning, keyed by a string of three-straight hits that included a homer from Paige Sinicki. Then, the Ducks turned the keys over to starter Lyndsey Grein and got a dominant outing from the right-hander while continuing to pile on offensively. 

Grein (11-0, 11 strikeouts on the night) was the star of the game, rebounding from a wobbly outing in Game One of the Oregon Classic to quiet the Toreros’ bats and give the rest of the Ducks’ arms a game off. 

Oregon added on in the fourth and fifth, tallying three combined runs on a sac-fly, Dez Patmon home run and a Sinicki double. 

Still, Oregon was just 2-8 with runners in scoring position, 1-6 to begin innings and bailed the Toreros out of a fourth-inning jam with a baserunning obstruction. 

In the end, though, anything more productive would have been superfluous for the Ducks who hold the best nonconference record in the Big Ten and lost their lone game of the season by a run in extra innings. 

McCoy blasted her ninth homer of the year for the Ducks who had six players tally hits. Sinicki finished the game 2-3 with two RBI’s and played terrific defense at shortstop.

With the win over the Toreros, Oregon went 2-0 in its two true tests of the weekend. Two games remain, both against a Loyola Chicago (3-13, lost to San Diego 9-1 on Friday) team that can’t be expected to compete with a nationally-ranked school.

The Ducks and Ramblers will face off at 6 p.m Saturday and then at 1 p.m Sunday afternoon.

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No.14 Oregon softball crushes Portland State 9-1 to close doubleheader

After the chaos of a home-opening game, one that culminated with a comeback win, No. 14 Oregon softball’s (17-1, 12 wins in a row) performance in the nightcap felt more like a routine work shift.

“It’s good for us to get tested in that way,” associate head coach Sam Marner said of the first game of the day.

There was no drama in the nightcap, but behind a strong performance from starter Taylour Spencer — and home runs from Dez Patmon and Rylee McCoy — there was plenty of substance in the Ducks’ 9-1 run-rule win over Portland State (4-13).

The Ducks gave Spencer some early support by manufacturing one run in the first on a Paige Sinicki groundout. Then three more runs came in the second after Braiesey Rosa hit a sac-fly and Patmon hit a long two-run home run. 

“She brings it,” McCoy said of Spencer. “Playing behind pitchers who are just dawgs, you need to be a dawg yourself and just do what you do.” 

“She’s a stud,” Marner said of Spencer. “This staff, they could call their own game themselves…. For Taylour to go out and go the distance, it made my job easy.” 

Still, it wasn’t until the fourth that the Ducks took full control of the contest. 

McCoy continued the torrid start to her collegiate career with a solo homer to left. Then, Kedre Luschar’s double to center drove in two more and put the game far out of reach. 

“It was awesome,” McCoy said. “I’ve hit a couple home runs this season, but that was by far my favorite.” 

“We’re always talking about our process,” Luschar said. “Individually and as a team, we’ve been digging into that, and so far it’s been good.”

The homer was McCoy’s eighth of the season — a number that would have been good for third-best on the Ducks just a year ago. 

The big lead allowed Spencer to throw 84 mostly stress-free pitches, allowing just three baserunners. 

It allowed the Ducks to substitute freely, helping get players off their feet amid a stretch of five games in three days and giving players game experience at different positions. 

But most importantly, Oregon was able to flex its depth on Friday — one of many advantages for the powerhouse Ducks, who once again made winning look easy to continue their fast start to the early season.

Head coach Melyssa Lombardi is away from the team due to a family emergency.

“On this team family is always first,” Marner said “One thing I’ll say about coach: she does a great job empowering her staff.” 

Freshman catcher Emma Cox is being evaluated after suffering an injury off a foul ball in the first inning of game one. Marner said there would be more of an update in the coming days. Rosa caught the majority of the innings behind the plate. 

 

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