FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026

OREGON ATHLETICS | @OregonSB

 Ducks Upset No. 11 Texas A&M

             

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — No. 18 Oregon used timely hitting and another dominant pitching performance from Lyndsey Grein to upset No. 11 Texas A&M, 2-1, Thursday afternoon at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The win took some of the sting off a 10-5 loss to Auburn earlier in the day.

 

Grein went 6.1 innings against the Aggies and allowed just one run on five hits. She struck out four and walked three to even her record at 3-3. Elise Sokolsky got the final two out of the game to earn her first save of the season.

 

Elon Butler homered against the Aggies, while Rylee McCoy drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth.

 

“I think it just took all of us to come together and have that team chemistry,” said Butler. “We were not going to lose. We worked so hard to get to this point. We just all game together like ‘we’re going to do this’ and it was a great job by the offense.”

 

How It Happened – Game 1: Auburn (10-2) hit a pair of three-run home runs early, but the Ducks (6-5) rallied to stay within striking distance until the Tigers pulled away late.

 

A three-run homer in the top of the first gave Auburn a 3-0 lead, but Amari Harper answered for the Ducks with a two-run home run, her third of the season.

 

The Tigers hit their second three-run home run of the game in the second inning and led 6-2.

 

Oregon then took advantage of a throwing error to plate two runs in the bottom of the inning.

 

With one out, Stefini Ma’ake was hit by a pitch. Freshman Taryn Ho – in her first plate appearance of the season – beat out a bunt single for a base hit. Auburn then tried to get Ma’ake at third, but the throw sailed high and wide and bounced all the way down the left field line. Ma’ake scored easily and Ho raced around the bases and scored standing up, cutting Auburn’s lead to 6-4.

 

The Tigers hit another home run in the top of the third for a 7-4 edge.

 

Oregon mounted one final rally in the sixth inning. Ma’ake singled and Katie Flannery walked to give the Ducks two runners aboard with no outs. Kaylynn Jones then reached on a fielder’s choice when pinch-runner Presley Lawton was safe at third to load the bases. Harper flied out to left to score Lawton, but that was it for the inning.

 

How It Happened – Game 2: Lyndsey Grein and A&M’s Sydney Lessentine waged an entertaining pitchers’ duel.

 

The Aggies only got to Grein once, a solo home run by Micaela Wark in the top of the fourth.

 

Elon Butler answered with her second homer of the season, a solo shot to center field in the bottom of the fourth.

 

“Honestly it felt great,” said Butler. “I’ve been struggling a little bit at the plate, not doing the best that I think I can, but I just saw something over the plate, trusted myself and swung.”

 

After the Ducks tied the game at 1-1, Grein didn’t allow a runner past second base over her final 2.1 innings.

 

“My approach was just relax and have fun,” said Grein. “Softball is supposed to be fun. We work so hard on our craft, so just embracing that.”

 

Rylee McCoy came through with the go-ahead RBI in the bottom of the sixth.

 

Kaylynn Jones walked and Amari Harper singled to lead off the inning. After Butler struck out, Emma Cox lashed a single into left field to load the bases.

 

That brought McCoy to the plate. She hit a ground ball into the hole between first and second. The Aggies’ only play was at first and Jones scored the eventual game-winning run on the fielder’s choice.

 

“They made it easy,” said McCoy. “They were on base and I knew I had one job and that was to score one run for my team and it felt amazing. Everyone worked so hard during the game and it happened to land on me and I’m so happy I got it done for them.”

 

In the top of the seventh inning, Grein got the first out before Kennedy Powell reached on a bunt base hit. The Ducks brought Elise Sokolsky in to close out the game. She needed just three pitches to finish the inning, getting a pair of ground-ball outs for her first save of the season.

 

Notable: In three games against SEC teams this season, Lyndsey Grein is 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA in 19.1 innings. She has allowed three runs on seven hits and has struck out 24 … Taryn Ho got her first career start at shortstop against the Aggies and had a hit and a sacrifice bunt … Kaylynn Jones was 4-for-6 on the day. She had a hit in both games to extend her hitting streak to a career-best seven games … Elise Sokolsky’s save was the sixth of her career, tying her for 10^th on the Ducks’ career list.

 

Quotable

Outfielder Elon Butler

“Obviously were pretty upset after losing to Auburn and the way we lost but I think the biggest this is that we stayed together, doing our thing and playing our game of softball.”

 

Up Next: Oregon plays two more games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Ducks face No. 13 South Carolina at 3 p.m. and Cal State Fullerton – for the third time this season – at 5 p.m.

 

Challenging start to the season for Lombardi.

On paper, her roster suggests superiority over last year’s, but clearly lacks the early focus that characterized 2025’s senior-led group’s motivation from being in her program for three years, and ready to break out.

Day in, day out team consistency is not easy to achieve, and has to develop over time, if it does at all.

But, that’s where I’m beginning to trust Melissa and her staff. They’ve shown a similarity to Dana Altman’s season long approach (this year being the exception) that has players team ready at the right time.

This team has the determination. Game time experience together appears all that is lacking.