Monday, April 3
Eugene, OR
12:00 PM
University of Oregon
23-11
9
vs
1
Montana
7-26
1
2
3
4
5
6
R
H
E
Montana
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
3
2
Oregon
2
1
0
0
2
4
9
11
1
Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Clutch Hitting Fuels Midweek Win
04/03/23 | Softball
Oregon hosted Montana on Monday and won in six innings, 9-1.
EUGENE, Ore. — Stevie Hansen notched her career-high 14th win and Oregon's bats came repeatedly came through in the clutch Monday, as the No. 18 Ducks run-ruled Montana in six innings at Jane Sanders Stadium, 9-1.
Hansen (14-4) struck out six and surrendered only a solo home run in the top of the sixth. That cut Oregon's lead to 5-1, but the Ducks closed it out in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer by pinch hitter Karissa Ornelas and two more runs in which the team's speed was decisive.
Kai Luschar was in the middle of it all, beating out an infield single to third, drawing a throw on a steal of second that allowed Vallery Wong to score on a delayed steal of home, and then scoring the walk-off run on an infield single by Hanna Delgado.
"It puts a lot of pressure on the defense, our speed," said Luschar, who had three hits including a bunt single in the first inning, and also reached on an error in the third. "There can be a routine play, and people will make mistakes. They could have an opportunity to get us out, but there's too much pressure so they don't rise to the occasion."
Delgado's game-winning infield single was Oregon's sixth hit of the game with runners in scoring position, as the Ducks took better advantage of scoring opportunities than they had at times in recent weeks.
"We finally knocked some runners in," UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. "We've been getting people on base; it's just about driving runners in. I thought you got to see that today."
How It Happened: A two-out rally got the Ducks started in the first. Alyssa Daniell walked with two outs, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by KK Humphreys. A walk by Wong and Luschar's bunt single loaded the bases, and Ariel Carlson walked to force in a run for a 2-0 lead.
Oregon's speed also was a factor when the Ducks added on in the third. Delgado singled with one out and stole second, before a ground ball by Daniel handcuffed a Montana infielder and allowed Delgado to score on an error. From there, though, it was the UO bats that were handcuffed for the next two innings, though Hansen allowed only one runner to reach scoring position from the second through the fifth.
"We weren't on time for pitches that we wanted to hit," Lombardi said of Oregon's scoreless third and fourth innings. "And then from there we started to make adjustments and get on time, and when we saw that we started to barrel up balls and hit balls hard."
It was another two-out rally that got the Ducks going again in the fifth. Luschar singled to start it off, then took third on a double by Carlson. Tehya Bird came up to bat next, having gone 4-for-24 over her previous 10 games, but she singled to drive in both runners for a 5-0 lead and beat a throw to second on the play.
"It was nice to be able to pull through for them today," Bird said, "and let them know that they can still trust me in the lineup and that I'm going to be competing in there every single time I get up to bat."
Montana got within 5-1 with the homer in the sixth. But the Ducks answered quickly, as Allee Bunker doubled to lead off the bottom of the inning and Ornelas followed with a home run. Another pinch hitter, Katelyn Howard, doubled with one out, and Luschar's infield single put runners at the corners. Wong, inserted back into the game for Howard, scored on the double steal to make it 8-1.
Once again, Oregon came through with two outs. Remmington Hewitt and Paige Sinicki each was hit by a pitch with two out to load the bases. Delgado then slapped a ball up the middle, which the pitcher couldn't handle cleanly as Luschar came home with the game-ending run.
Notable: The home run by Ornelas was her first in two seasons with the Ducks. … Luschar's three hits were a new career high. … There was an extended delay in the bottom of the first inning when umpires adjudicated an unsuccessful protest by Montana's coaches regarding Oregon's lineup. Lombardi said the confusion stemmed from the presence on the UO roster of both Luschar and her sister Kedre Luschar.
Quotable:
UO coach Melyssa Lombardi on having a Monday game after a Pac-12 weekend
"You play a game like today, it doesn't matter who you play it against, but it can be a tough game. We're just coming off a long weekend. And I think they've handled it both times; you know, we played Seattle after Washington and then now to come play Montana after Oregon State. We've got to be able to lock in again for the fourth time and play, and I thought we did a really good job of that.
Sophomore outfielder Kai Luschar on the mentality for nonleague play this week
"I think we just want to keep preparing and getting better for Pac and postseason. Keep our same postseason mentality throughout all of our games. And we play a faceless opponent every time. We all know we're playing our game, all the time. We play for us. It's pretty easy — and we always remind each other, we're playing for us."
Up Next: The Ducks open a two-game series with Lindenwood at Jane Sanders Stadium on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Hansen (14-4) struck out six and surrendered only a solo home run in the top of the sixth. That cut Oregon's lead to 5-1, but the Ducks closed it out in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer by pinch hitter Karissa Ornelas and two more runs in which the team's speed was decisive.
Kai Luschar was in the middle of it all, beating out an infield single to third, drawing a throw on a steal of second that allowed Vallery Wong to score on a delayed steal of home, and then scoring the walk-off run on an infield single by Hanna Delgado.
"It puts a lot of pressure on the defense, our speed," said Luschar, who had three hits including a bunt single in the first inning, and also reached on an error in the third. "There can be a routine play, and people will make mistakes. They could have an opportunity to get us out, but there's too much pressure so they don't rise to the occasion."
Delgado's game-winning infield single was Oregon's sixth hit of the game with runners in scoring position, as the Ducks took better advantage of scoring opportunities than they had at times in recent weeks.
"We finally knocked some runners in," UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. "We've been getting people on base; it's just about driving runners in. I thought you got to see that today."
How It Happened: A two-out rally got the Ducks started in the first. Alyssa Daniell walked with two outs, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by KK Humphreys. A walk by Wong and Luschar's bunt single loaded the bases, and Ariel Carlson walked to force in a run for a 2-0 lead.
Oregon's speed also was a factor when the Ducks added on in the third. Delgado singled with one out and stole second, before a ground ball by Daniel handcuffed a Montana infielder and allowed Delgado to score on an error. From there, though, it was the UO bats that were handcuffed for the next two innings, though Hansen allowed only one runner to reach scoring position from the second through the fifth.
"We weren't on time for pitches that we wanted to hit," Lombardi said of Oregon's scoreless third and fourth innings. "And then from there we started to make adjustments and get on time, and when we saw that we started to barrel up balls and hit balls hard."
It was another two-out rally that got the Ducks going again in the fifth. Luschar singled to start it off, then took third on a double by Carlson. Tehya Bird came up to bat next, having gone 4-for-24 over her previous 10 games, but she singled to drive in both runners for a 5-0 lead and beat a throw to second on the play.
"It was nice to be able to pull through for them today," Bird said, "and let them know that they can still trust me in the lineup and that I'm going to be competing in there every single time I get up to bat."
Montana got within 5-1 with the homer in the sixth. But the Ducks answered quickly, as Allee Bunker doubled to lead off the bottom of the inning and Ornelas followed with a home run. Another pinch hitter, Katelyn Howard, doubled with one out, and Luschar's infield single put runners at the corners. Wong, inserted back into the game for Howard, scored on the double steal to make it 8-1.
Once again, Oregon came through with two outs. Remmington Hewitt and Paige Sinicki each was hit by a pitch with two out to load the bases. Delgado then slapped a ball up the middle, which the pitcher couldn't handle cleanly as Luschar came home with the game-ending run.
Notable: The home run by Ornelas was her first in two seasons with the Ducks. … Luschar's three hits were a new career high. … There was an extended delay in the bottom of the first inning when umpires adjudicated an unsuccessful protest by Montana's coaches regarding Oregon's lineup. Lombardi said the confusion stemmed from the presence on the UO roster of both Luschar and her sister Kedre Luschar.
Quotable:
UO coach Melyssa Lombardi on having a Monday game after a Pac-12 weekend
"You play a game like today, it doesn't matter who you play it against, but it can be a tough game. We're just coming off a long weekend. And I think they've handled it both times; you know, we played Seattle after Washington and then now to come play Montana after Oregon State. We've got to be able to lock in again for the fourth time and play, and I thought we did a really good job of that.
Sophomore outfielder Kai Luschar on the mentality for nonleague play this week
"I think we just want to keep preparing and getting better for Pac and postseason. Keep our same postseason mentality throughout all of our games. And we play a faceless opponent every time. We all know we're playing our game, all the time. We play for us. It's pretty easy — and we always remind each other, we're playing for us."
Up Next: The Ducks open a two-game series with Lindenwood at Jane Sanders Stadium on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hansen, Stevie (14-4)
L: Brock, Allie (3-10)
Batting:
HR: Curtis, Kendall 1
RBI: Curtis, Kendall 1
SH: Phelps, Julie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Curtis, Kendall 1
Batting:
2B: Bunker, Allee 1 ; Howard, Katelyn 1 ; Carlson, Ariel 1
HR: Ornelas, Karissa 1
RBI: Delgado, Hanna 1 ; Ornelas, Karissa 2 ; Humphreys, KK 1 ; Carlson, Ariel 1 ; Bird, Tehya 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Delgado, Hanna 1 ; Bunker, Allee 1 ; Daniell, Alyssa 1 ; Ornelas, Karissa 1 ; Humphreys, KK 1 ; Wong, Vallery 1 ; Luschar, Kai 2 ; Carlson, Ariel 1
SB: Delgado, Hanna 1 ; Wong, Vallery 1 ; Luschar, Kai 1 ; Sinicki, Paige 1
HBP: Hewitt, Remmington 1 ; Sinicki, Paige 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UT
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