EUGENE, Ore. – In a rematch of last year's NCAA Regional in Eugene, the Utah Valley University softball dropped a doubleheader to No. 2 Oregon on Wednesday evening at Howe Field.
Thanks to a five-run sixth, the Ducks (28-3) took game one by a score of 9-1 in six innings and held on to shutout the Wolverines (12-22) in the second, 3-0.
Despite the pair of losses, UVU doubled up Oregon in the hit column in the second game and it took a late rally in the first contest for the second-ranked Ducks to put that game away.
"The girls played hard and really worked together tonight," head coach
Nikki Palmer said. "I think this will give us some good momentum moving into conference play."
Utah Valley doubled up the Ducks in the hit column in the second game of the twin bill, at 6-3, but the Wolverines stranded all six of their base runners as they fell by a score of 3-0.
Oregon manufactured two first-inning runs in the contest to jump out to a 2-0 advantage. UO's first two batters reached base safely in the frame after both getting hit by pitches. Following a sacrifice bunt, the Ducks then scored a run on a sacrifice fly from Janelle Lindvall and followed it up with an RBI double from Geri Ann Glasco.
Taleigh Williams picked up a hit for the Wolverines in the second and
Breezy Roth and
Brianna Gatlin followed with consecutive hits in the third, but all three base runners were stranded as the Ducks were the next to push across a run, doing so an another RBI from Lindvall.
Williams,
Cera Stanley and
Jaylen Watson recorded hits in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, respectively, for Utah Valley but they couldn't score at Oregon held on to record the shutout and sweep and doubleheader.
Karissa Hovinga (7-1) scattered five hits in five innings to earn the win for the Ducks while Jasmine Smithson-Willett recorded her first save after allowing just one hit in the final two innings.
Kailey Christensen (1-4) took the loss for the Wolverines after giving up three runs on two hits in 2.2 innings of work.
Kelsey Lawton and
Kellee Ramsey pitched the final 3.1 innings of the ballgame for UVU and didn't allow a run as they combined to give up just one hit in relief. Despite handing out a number of free passes, the two did a nice job of pitching out of jams as they left the bases loaded in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. As a whole, the Utah Valley pitching staff stranded 12 base runners in the game.
Williams led the Wolverines offensively in game two by going 2-for-3 with a double. Lindvall paced the Ducks with a 1-for-1 outing with two RBIs and two walks.
The Wolverines were the first to get on the board in the first game of the twin bill thanks to a second-inning solo round tripper from sophomore
Brittney Vansway. The home run marked Vansway's fifth of the season.
With UVU still holding to its 1-0 advantage, UO's offense got going in the bottom of the second as it plated three runs to take a 3-1 advantage of its own. Glasco started the Oregon rally with a leadoff home run.
Wolverine starter
Bailey Moore kept the potent Duck offense at bay until the fourth when Oregon managed to score an insurance run to extend its lead to 4-1. The game stayed 4-1 until the sixth when UO put the contest away via the run rule after driving home five runs. Hailey Decker delivered the big blow in the frame with a run-rule walk-off grand slam.
Glasco (6-0) picked up the win in the circle for UO as she allowed just two hits and one run in 6.0 innings. The reigning WAC Pitcher of the Week Moore (8-12) took the loss for UVU after giving up nine runs in 5.1 innings of work.
Besides Vansway's second-inning home run, senior outfielder
Megan Peay recorded the lone other hit in the game for the Wolverines as she singled in the third.
Wednesday's doubleheader marked the fourth and fifth meetings between UVU against UO at Howe Field since April of 2014.
The Wolverines will now head to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to begin their second season of play in Western Athletic Conference this weekend. The three-game conference series between the preseason favorite Aggies and last year's tournament champion Wolverines will begin Friday at 6 p.m. at the NM State Softball Complex.
