Oregon's bid for the College World Series had a wild beginning Sunday afternoon under overcast skies in Jane Sanders Stadium.
After losing to Stanford 14-1 on Saturday, they had to win the first one to force a winner-take-all final. They responded with five runs in the 2nd and five in the 5th to win 15-5.
Kai Luschar got hit by a pitch in the first inning and stole second, went to third on a wild pitch. The Ducks loaded the bases on two walks, then another walk to Paige Sinicki forced in a run.
Dez Patmon's slow roller up the middle brought home another run, the Ducks plating two in their first at bat with just one infield hit for a 2-0 lead.
One of the many ways speed benefits a softball team is that it creates disruption, often rattles a pitcher and a defense.
Lyndsey Grein started in the circle for the Ducks, dressed all in white with silver numerals trimmed with green.
Stanford immediately got a runner aboard, a grounder bobbled by Kaylynn Jones at second then Rylee McCoy at first. A flyout to left kept the runner at first. No. 3 hitter River Mahler took a strike, took a ball high, flailed at the 1-1.
The 1-2 sailed over the catcher's head, the runner moving to second. Mahler stroked a single between short and third, runners at the corners with one out.
A stolen base put runners on second and third. Grein scattered one past her catcher, the wild pitch bringing in a run, 2-1, runner on third, still one out.
Grein bore down, striking out Berry, but the next pitch was in the dirt and by her catcher again, 2-2 as Mahler raced home. She walked Chan on four pitches before Economides hit a soft liner to second, fielded cleanly by Jones.
Katie Flannery led off the Oregon second, walking on four pitches. In College Station Liberty and Texas A&M are tied at 11. Luschar singled off the pitcher, Flannery hustling to second ahead of the force play.
Kedre Luschar shot a single through the right side to score her sister, stretching into a double, runners at second and third with no outs. The rodeo kids struck again.
Riley McCoy followed, sending a 1-0 pitch to the flagpole in left, a three-run homer good for a 6-2 lead. In the dugout, her teammates draped the WWE belt around her neck, jumping and dancing in celebration, loose now, confident.
Stefini Ma'akle drilled a single to right center, mishandled in the outfield, Ma'ake cruising into second with a fist pump for the dugout. Sinicki bunted her to third. Emma Cox lifted a fly ball to center, deep enough to score Ma'ake, 7-2.
Dez Patmon fouled off two, worked the count full, then got underneath a pitch, popping out to first. In two innings the Ducks had struck for seven runs on five hits and four walks.
In the Stanford second, Jones made a nice play ranging to her right to backhand a ground ball and throw out the runner at first. Then Grein struck out K. Chung on three pitches.
Catcher Allie Clements got one back for The Cardinal with a solo home run to left on an 0-2 count, 7-3. Leadoff hitter Taryn Kern swatted a soft liner up the middle, good for a single. A spectacular layout catch in the gap in left center got the Ducks out of the inning.
Oregon loaded the bases again in the third, Jones leading off with a single, Kai Luschar working the count for a walk, Rylee McCoy taking pitch off her upper arm on a 3-0 count. Ma'ake got underneath and pitch and popped out to end the inning.
In the Stanford third Grein got two outs on two pitches, both flyouts. She fell behind Kyra Chan 3-0 but got a strike and then a popup to third, their first three up, three down inning against The Cardinal in two games.
Sinicki lined a single into left on a pitch around her eyes, but she was erased quickly by a double play. A flyout to center ended the Oregon fourth, clinging to a four-run lead against a powerful Stanford lineup.
How long would Grein hold up, taking on a heavy workload in tense circumstances?
She faltered a bit in the fourth, giving way to Elise Sokolsky after two runs scored, Stanford closing to 7-5.
But the Ducks answered with five runs in top of the 5th, a three-run home run by Kedre Luschar, an RBI triple by Sinicki.
Through the first six innings, the first three batters in the Oregon order feasted on Cardinal pitching:
AB R H RBI
22 Kai Luschar LF 3 3 3 0
1 Kedre Luschar CF 4 2 2 4
24 Rylee McCoy 1B 1 2 1 3
Oregon added three more runs in the 6th, Ma'ake hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Sinicki drawing a walk with the bases loaded, Sinicki scoring on a wild pitch.
Sokolsky closed out the game with three scoreless innings. Flannery charged a slow bouncer and fired a bullet to first for out No. 2 in the 6th, then Sokolsky ended it with her fourth strikeout.