Triple Play! Ducks Defeat Three Straight Top 25 Teams

[Charles Fischer]

This is so unique and special that I felt it should be featured on its own, as well as in the Softball Thread.

 

 

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Turns out Oregon’s 2-1 win over No. 19 Northwestern on Friday was merely the opening act.

 

The 22^nd ranked Ducks saw three different players hit a pair of home runs and Stevie Hansen won both ends of a doubleheader as Oregon defeated No. 3 Florida, 8-0, and No. 24 Missouri, 6-4, Saturday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

 

It was the first time on record that the Ducks (11-3) have defeated three different ranked opponents in a row.

 

“We never doubted it at all coming in,” said Raegan Breedlove, who started and went five innings against Missouri. “We were prepared and ready to do it for each other.”

 

How it Happened Game 1: Hansen was masterful in winning her sixth decision in a row by throwing a complete-game, one-hit shutout. She didn’t allow a hit until a two-out single in the sixth inning, and faced just two batters over the minimum. Neither runner advanced past first base. Hansen struck out one batter and did not walk any.

 

The Duck offense jumped on Florida starter Elizabeth Hightower early. Hanna Delgado led the game off with a triple and scored on Allee Bunker’s two-run home run. KK Humphreys homered in the third inning to make it 3-0 Oregon.

 

In the fifth inning, Delgado doubled and scored on Terra McGowan’s two-run shot that made it 5-0.

 

The Ducks tacked on three more runs in the top of the seventh. McGowan singled to score Kyla Morris from second and then Bunker followed with her second home run of the game.

 

The third-ranked Gators (11-2) were the highest ranked team the Ducks have defeated since beating No. 1 UCLA, 3-1, on Feb. 28, 2021.

 

 

How it Happened Game 2: Breedlove allowed just two runs in the top of the third inning, but the Ducks could only muster McGowan’s second home run of the day in the bottom of the third inning. The Tigers led 2-1 into the fifth and threatened to score more before Hansen relieved Breedlove and shut down the Tigers.

 

After Alex Honnold led the fifth off with a single and went to second on a passed ball, Hansen was called in from the pen. She recorded the first out of the inning on a sacrifice bunt that moved Honnold to third. Hansen got Julia Crenshaw to foul out to Humphreys at first for the second out. The inning ended when Katie Chester flied out to Carlson in right.

 

Humphreys led the bottom of the sixth off with a home run to tie the game at 2-2 and Vallery Wong followed with a pinch-hit home run that gave the Ducks the lead for good, 3-2.

 

The Ducks then added some insurance runs in the sixth that would prove essential later in the game.

 

Ariel Carlson singled and went to second on a passed ball. Paige Sinicki bunted for a base hit and Carlson moved to third. After an out. Kyla Morris hit a grounder to third, but the throw home to try to cut down Carlson was high and got away from the catcher as both Carlson and Sinicki scored on the play for a 5-2 lead.

 

Bunker then singled through the left side to score Morris.

 

The Ducks took a 6-2 lead to the seventh, but Missouri (11-4) would not go down quietly. Riley Frizell led off with a home run that made it 6-3 Oregon.

 

Hansen got Maddie Gallagher to strike out for the first out of the inning, but then Megan Moll doubled. With runners on first and second following a walk, Jenna Laird singled to left to score Moll and cut Oregon’s lead to 6-4.

 

 

Morgan Scott came on in relief and after walking Honnold to load the bases, struck out Crenshaw and retired Chester on a fly to right to earn her second save of the season.

 

Noteworthy: Hansen (7-2) has won seven decisions in a row … The top of Oregon’s order – Delgado, McGowan, Bunker and Humphreys – went 13-for 31 with two doubles, six home runs and 11 RBI … Bunker had four hits on Saturday to move into a tie for fifth in UO career hits at 234 with Julie Cavanaugh (1998-91). Bunker had five RBI on Saturday – four against Florida – and has 10 RBI in her last four games … It was Oregon’s first win against Florida since Feb. 11, 2006 (7-2) … Overall, this was  the first time the Ducks won three consecutive games vs. ranked teams since defeating No. 19 Kentucky twice and No. 8 Arizona in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

 

Quotable:

Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi

“They’re making big-time plays for each other. They’re coming up clutch for each other, for Oregon softball.”

 

Pitcher Raegan Breedlove

“We all get so hyped for each other. We never had a doubt in our minds. Running out there is like the best feeling just getting excited for each other.”

 

On Deck: Sunday’s final game of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic against UC San Diego has been pushed back to 10 a.m. PT on Sunday.

 

[Jon Joseph]

HUZZAH!