Oregon Softball: Ducks Finish Kijikawa Classic 5-0
Oregon Softball showed what a top recruiting class can do over the weekend despite one returning starter from last season.
The three games that Oregon played on Saturday and Sunday although early in the season were important. The win over Missouri will stand out for sure. The win over the Tigers showed that Oregon can be patient at the plate and lethal on the basepaths. The Tigers beat two Pac-12 teams in the Kajikawa Classic, but not the Oregon Ducks.
Sunday saw Oregon close out the Kajikawa Classic with their fourth straight win over Seattle University, and this game had a different feel. It was a game that required the team to fight back from a deficit. The Ducks came back to tie the game at 3 in the third inning and put it out of reach scoring 5 runs in the fifth inning to win 8-6 in seven innings.
More from Autzen Zoo
- Oregon football: Ducks and Coach Prime playing it cordial leading up to Saturday
- Oregon Basketball: Non-conference slate features Michigan coming to Eugene
- Oregon football: Ducks find complete game effort in win vs Hawaii
- Oregon Ducks must get run game going against Hawaii
- 8 Pac-12 teams represented in Associated Press Top 25 after Week 2
Haley Cruse was 2 for 4, but Jasmine Sievers and Hannah Galey powered Oregon. Both hit home runs and had 3 RBIs to lead a shaky outing by Jordan Dial who threw 5 2/3 innings giving up 5 hits and two runs earning her first no-decision of the year.
Oregon hit .438 for the game and had a runner caught stealing. Haley Cruse again did her job hitting .500 from the leadoff position and putting her team in a better opportunity to score. The Ducks also hit .421 with runners in scoring position holding Seattle to a .143 batting average with runners in scoring position.
The early season games are the games that you need to win and the Oregon Ducks not only won four of the five games, but they also did so decisively. Oregon also had a run-ruled game against Bradley to close out play on Sunday.
The Oregon Ducks will play next in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational facing LSU, James Madison, Florida Atlantic and Kentucky. Kentucky is the team they sent home at Jane Sanders Stadium last season as Oregon made their way to the Women’s College World Series.
Oregon and LSU will see first pitch on Friday at 9:30am Pacific Time.