Softball Run-Rules Arizona; Baseball Squeaks By Lowly Cal

Oregon’s Diamond Ducks turned in another great Friday night as Softball needed just 6 innings to run-rule Arizona 8 - 0 and Baseball scored a late run to beat Cal 5 - 4. Morgan Scott turned in another pitching gem, scattering 3 Wildcat hits and striking out 6. After taking an early lead, the Ducks turned to their bullpen after Cal rallied and were rewarded with 2 shutout innings from Grayson Grinsell and Josh Mollerus.

Softball

Oregon got off to a great start, plating two runs in the bottom of the first. After Arizona went down in order, Hanna Delgado and Kai Luschar opened the Ducks inning with back-to-back singles. Each player advanced a base on a groundout and Delgado scored on a second groundout. Luschar, now on 3rd base, then came home on a wild pitch and the Ducks led 2 - 0.

The Wildcats were able to touch Scott for only one hit - a single - over the next 3 innings and Oregon used its half of the 4th to score again. After an inning-opening groundout, the Ducks loaded the bases as Terra McGowan singled, Alyssa Daniell was hit by a pitch and KK Humphreys drew a walk. Ariel Carlson reached on a fielder's choice, but McGowan was forced out at home. With 2 outs, Karissa Ornelas singled to right field to score Humphreys and Daniell. After a strikeout ended the inning, Oregon led 4 - 0.

Scott gave up just her second hit - another single - in the top of the 5th but the Wildcats couldn’t take advantage. Oregon put the game on life support in their half of the inning, scoring 3 times to take a 7 - 0 lead. The big blow was a Terra McGowan home run over the centerfield fence following a Delgado walk and a Luschar single.

The Wildcats needed to score in the top of the 6th to try to take away the chance for a run-rule victory for Oregon. An opening single was turned into a double by an Oregon error and then an unearned triple by a passed ball to the next batter. Scott, however, bore down ultimately stranding the runner at third with a strikeout, a pop foul to first base and a lineout to left field.

The Ducks needed just one more run to end the game and promptly loaded the bases again with just one out. Delgado and Luschar again began the inning with back-to-back singles and after a foul popout, McGowan walked. A strikeout brought up Humphreys with a chance to cancel the 7th inning and she came through with a flare to right that brought Delgado home with the game-winner. Humphreys’ hit came on the 9th pitch of her at-bat.

Scott (9-4) pitched a 3-hitter, didn’t walk a batter and struck out six in the complete game shut-out. Delgado was 2 - 3 with a walk, Luschar was 3 - 4 and McGowan was 2 - 3 with a walk, a home run and 4 RBIs. Ornelas was 1 - 1 with 2 RBI. Oregon has now won 7 in a row and will try to win the series tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm.

Baseball

Coming off a puzzling late-game collapse and loss to Portland earlier this week, Oregon caught a scheduling break playing Cal on the road this weekend. The Golden Bears came into today’s opener just 5 - 13 in Conference, just one game ahead of cellar-dwelling Utah. The Ducks, however, were only able to squeak out a win, scoring a run in the top of the 8th that proved to be the game-winner.

Jace Stoffal started on the mound for Oregon and the Ducks ceded an early Cal run in the bottom of the 2nd inning but got it and one more back in the top of the 3rd. A Cal error put Drew Smith on first, but he was immediately caught stealing. After a flyout, Rikuu Nishida singled and was brought home on a Colby Shade triple to right. Drew Cowley then hit a Texas Leaguer to center scoring Shade and Oregon led 2 - 1 after a flyout ended the inning. Cal could manage just a walk in the bottom of the 3rd and the Ducks then tacked on another run in the top of the 4th when Tanner Smith deposited the sixth pitch of the inning over the right field fence.

Drew Smith had a two-out single, but Oregon couldn’t do any more damage and led 3 - 1. In the bottom of the 4th Cal again had a runner - courtesy of a walk - but didn’t threaten.

Shade made it 4 - 1 with a first-pitch, one-out homer to center, and the Ducks closed out their half of the 5th with the 3-run advantage. Cal had no base runners in the 5th, and neither team could score in the 6th.

In the 7th, Oregon went down in order, but the Golden Bears finally got untracked against Stoffal. Cal had two singles and a double to score twice but the Ducks stuck with Stoffal until the fourth hit of the inning - another single - scored another Cal run that tied the game 4 - 4. Matt Dallas finally came on to get the final out of the inning, but the damage was done.

The Ducks came right back, scoring what would be the game-winning run in the top of the 8th. Cowley had a one-out single and Sabin Ceballos drew a walk to move Cowley into scoring position. After a strikeout, it was Cal making the crucial error as the throw to first on a Jacob Walsh grounder up the middle was high, pulling the first baseman off the bag as Walsh arrived. Cowley was able to score on the play, giving Oregon a 5 - 4 lead.

Grayson Grinsell came on briefly to pitch for Oregon in the Cal half of the 8th, and got the first out, but also gave up a walk. The Ducks turned to Josh Mollerus, the closer, who had been unable to save the Portland game earlier this week. Mollerus also gave up a walk - moving the tying run to 2nd - but ultimately got out of the inning.

The Ducks could not get an insurance run in the top of the 9th, but they didn’t need it as Mollerus struck out the first two batters of the inning, gave up a single, and then recorded another strikeout to end the game.

Dallas, who was credited with just 0.2 innings, got the win for Oregon to move his record to 5 - 1. Stoffal pitched well right up until he didn’t, going 6.1 innings and gave up 6 hits and all four Cal runs. He walked 3 and struck out 5. Mollerus recorded the save, his 7th of the season.

At the plate, Shade was 2 - 5 with 2 RBI and Cowley was 2 - 4 with an RBI. Tanner Smith’s solo shot and the run scored on the Cal throwing error completed Oregon’s tally. The teams face off again tomorrow with the first pitch scheduled for 2:05 in Berkeley.