Softball: Ducks roll through Mary Nutter Classic

It wasn’t the easiest start for the Ducks down in Cathedral City, but it was one heck of a finish.

After dropping the first game of the Mary Nutter Classic 0-5 to Cal State Fullerton, Oregon stormed back for four straight victories, with the final three coming against Top 25 opponents.

After the disappointing loss to CSF on Friday, Oregon rallied together to take care of No.19 Northwestern 2-1 and close the day with a split.

Saturday saw Oregon handle two tough opponents from the SEC as the Ducks pummeled No.3 Florida 8-0 and then battled it out for a 6-4 win over No.24 Missouri.

Sunday concluded with a battle against UC San Diego, in which Oregon hung on to win 2-1.

The weekend’s performance was spearheaded by Stevie Hansen, who was named Pac-12 pitcher of the week after another stellar performance down in California. Hansen has pitched eight straight wins and had three straight victories over Top 25 opponents this weekend. Against the Gators she even threw a one-hit shutout.

Allee Bunker saved the day for Oregon offensively against Northwestern, providing the RBI single in the seventh inning that gave the Ducks the lead for good. Bunker also blasted a two-run homer against Florida, one of three Ducks to provide multiple home runs on Saturday.

The others were Terra McGowan, who provided a two-run shot against the Gators and a solo home run against Missouri, and KK Humhreys provided solo homers against the Gators and Tigers.

Oregon has one more tournament to attend before beginning conference play as the Ducks fly south for the third week in a row and will play in the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, CA. Oregon will open that tournament with a matchup against Fresno State at 10am PT on Thursday, March 2nd.