Diamond Ducks Recap: 05/01/26

Your Oregon Ducks baseball and softball teams were both in action on Friday night, let’s see how they did. First up, the #11 ranked softball team traveled down to LA to square off against the #5 UCLA Bruins in a gigantic Big Ten series, their last of the regular season. The Bruins would get things started in the bottom of the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI gap-double to right-center field. And then, three straight innings of just clutch pitching by both teams. Any time runners would get on base, somehow each pitcher was able to escape the situation without any damage. That is, until the top of the 5th inning, when Elon Butler would pull the first pitch of the inning down the left field line for a solo home run. And then, two batters later, Stefini Ma’ake would get a hold of one and blast a solo home run of her own, giving the Ducks a 2-1 lead. UCLA would respond, however, hitting another solo shot to right field to tie the game at 2-2 after 5 innings.

It would remain tied at 2-2 until the top of the 7th. Leading things off, Elon Butler hit a gap-double to left-center, followed immediately by an Amari Harper single, to put runners on the corners. Emma Cox would step up next, and hit a first pitch single, bringing Butler around to score. 3-2 Oregon. Then, on the very next pitch, Stefini Ma’ake would hit ANOTHER home run, her 2nd of the game, increasing the Oregon lead to 6-2. And three batters later, a Rylee McCoy two-run shot to bring the score up to 8-2, securing the Oregon victory.