The NCAA tournament is coming up later this month and the Oregon Ducks have a great chance to host regional games at both PK Park and Jane Sanders Stadium.
Softball welcomed in No. 7 Arizona to town in the last regular-season Pac-12 series of the year and Senior Day while baseball hosted last-place Washington. Both teams had a mission to complete and the Ducks accomplished what they set out to do in order to host tournament games.
Haley Cruse and Brooke Yanez cage the Wildcats
At this time of the year, every quality win can go a long way in the eyes of the committee when it comes to possibly host that coveted regional and hopefully Super Regional. Oregon softball came into the series with the Wildcats ranked 12th and the Top 16 seeds host the first round of regionals and the Ducks were right on the edge.
It doesn’t look like Oregon has to worry about it anymore.
The Ducks managed to defeat Arizona two-of-three inside Jane Sanders Stadium with just one more series remaining in the season. But it wasn’t easy. Not by a long shot.
In the series opener, Arizona’s Hanah Bowen had a perfect game going through six innings by retiring the first 18 Ducks. With a slim 1-0 lead, Bowen had just three more outs to go. But Haley Cruse ended the perfect game and the no-hitter with a single to right. Allee Bunker sacrificed her over to second and Terra McGowen crushed an 0-2 pitch over the left-field wall for the two-run homer to give Oregon a dramatic 2-1 win.
Not to be overlooked by the late-game heroics, Oregon would have never had that chance to win it if Brooke Yanez wasn’t incredible in the circle. She threw a complete game, allowing just one run on two hits and striking out eight.
Yanez was just getting warmed up, however. She backed up her start on Friday with an absolute gem on Saturday with a complete game shutout as Yanez struck out 12 in the 1-0 win.
Cruse’s RBI double to right was the only scoring in the game with the Ducks winning 1-0. She had a single, a double, and a triple. She “completed” the cycle in the second game of the day with a home run, but Arizona won the non-conference contest 4-3.
Unfortunately on Senior Day, Oregon couldn’t crack the scoreboard in the 2-0 loss. The Ducks are now 33-15 overall and 11-10 in Pac-12 play with one more series, at California, left before the tourney begins.
Ducks baseball roll over the Huskies
Washington is in last place for a reason and the Ducks did what they needed to do against their rival to the North. Oregon was able to sweep the Dawgs and keep its hope for a Pac-12 title alive.
With the three wins, the Ducks are now 13-7 in conference action and 29-11 overall. Oregon is tied with Oregon State for second place and 1.5 games behind Arizona.
Robert Ahlstrom got the weekend started off on the right foot with a dominating 8-0 win. The ace of the staff went seven shutout innings and struck out 11. Gavin Grant homered and Josh Kasevich hit a bases-clearing double to dispose of the Huskies.
The good pitching continued on Saturday as four hurlers held the Dawgs to just a run in the 5-1 win. Tanner Smith’s 3-run homer in the seventh put the Ducks on the board and that was more than enough for Oregon.
In the series finale, Oregon found itself down 2-1 before Kenyon Yovan tied it with a solo homer in the fourth and then the bats exploded for five more in the fifth as the Ducks went on for a 9-3 victory. Aaron Zavala’s three-run triple was the big blow. He added a homer later in the game.
Oregon will now go to Utah next weekend for yet another three-game set. The Utes are just 11-26 overall and 6-16 in conference play.