Before a sold out crowd of 2500 under early evening sunny skies, the Ducks were robbed of a run in the first inning and a chance to hit for the lead in the 7th, Kai Luschar twice called out on challenges for leaving early.
Dez Patmon redeemed it all with another clutch hit, driving a single up the middle for another walk-off win, this time in the 8th inning, 3-2 over Liberty at Jane Sanders Stadium to take a 1-0 lead in the Super Regional.
In the first inning Luschar fought off the sun to make a catch in left field, retiring leadoff hitter Savannah Woodard.
Lyndsey Grein looked strong, ahead of the first two hitters, but top hitter Rachel Roupe banged a double into right center, taking an outside pitch the other way. Katie Flannery scooped up a grounder for out two.
A wild pitch got Roupe to third. Cleanup hitter Alyssa Henault worked the count full through nine pitches, drawing a walk on the 10th, runners at the corners, two away.
Henault broke for second. Roupe tried to steal home, but Paige Sinicki fired to Emma Cox ahead of her, caught in a rundown, tagged out by third baseman Katie Flannery, the Ducks out of the inning with no damage.
Kai Luschar bounced a bunt to the pitcher and outran it to first. Liberty pitcher Elena Escobar didn't have time to get the ball out of her glove. Batting second, Kedre Luschar worked her for a walk, two on, no out.
With Rylee McCoy out, Stefini Ma'ake batted third and played first base. She chopped a ball to short, Kai going to third, Kedre out at second.
Sinicki laid down a perfect squeeze bunt, scoring Kai easily. The Flames tried for home and had to eat the ball. No one covered second, and Sinicki alertly dashed for an extra base..
Liberty protested the call, saying Kai Luschar left early. Nobody could be that fast, except she is. Challenge denied, 1-0 with runners at second and third.
Except strangely, the umpires reviewed the call and reversed it, even though replays CLEARLY showed Luschar with her toe on third base as the ball reached the midpoint to home. She pushed off the bag to accelerate, scoring easily.
Nevertheless, the run didn't count. Luschar ruled out for leaving early.
Sinicki had to return to her at bat and sent a ball to the left field wall but Liberty left fielder Paige Doerr, a Coburg, Oregon native (Marist High School) and a transfer from Oregon State, leaped up and picked it over the wall for the third out.
After one inning the Flames looked like a team of destiny, winning the challenge and robbing a homer, nothing neither way, to quote the duel scene in Hamlet.
Doerr ripped a sharp liner to left center but Kedre Luschar made a diving catch for out two in the second.
Craine walked on a pitch that seemed to have several characteristics of strike three. A soft fly to Ayanna Shaw ended the inning anyway.
The Ducks broke through in the third. After Shaw reached on an error Kai Luschar slashed a triple to right center to score the first run of the game. Ma'ake laced a single to left to score Luschar, a two-out RBI, showing her strength by pulling an outside pitch for a 2-0 lead.
Ma'ake showed off her quick reflexes in the fourth, playing in with Henault leading off, snaring a hot smash, one pitch, one out.
Madrey singled off Elise Sokolsky, who had come in to pitch in the 3rd. Doerr hit a double to left center, scoring her all the way from first, 2-1.
In the fifth an infield single, a wild pitch and a passed ball on an intentional pass got Liberty runners on first and third with no outs.
Sokolsky painted the black for a called third strike for one out. A soft fly to Kai in left made two with Roupe advancing to second, two runners in scoring position. She made a nice catch at the warning track for out number three, no damage.
In the Liberty 6th a bouncing ball up the middle got through for a leadoff single by Doerr. A sacrifice bunt and a passed ball got her to third.
Pinch hitter Alexia Carrasquillo lined a single down the third base line to tie the score. Staci Chambers, the pitching star of the Regional final came in to pitch.
Kaylynn Jones swallowed up a ground ball to end the inning.
With the Ducks managing just four hits off Escobar over the first six innings, great defensive plays kept them in the game.
Chambers got the crowd roaring in the 7th, striking out No. 3 hitter Roupe to start the inning, a fast ball on the corner for a called strike three, a grounder to the ever-reliable Jones for out number two.
Two quick strikes to Henault got the capacity crowd to their feet, clapping in unison for another K. Low for ball three, full count. An easy fly to Kai Luschar, and the Ducks had set the stage for another Hollywood ending.
Flannery, Shaw and the top of the order due up for the Ducks, Escobar still pitching. The sound system played "Joker and the Thief."
A grounder to Byrum at short for one out, a grounder to second made it two, quickly. Luschar again, who slashed another single, this time a sharp liner to the hole.
Oregon's all-time leading base stealer on first with two out, Kedre at the plate. On the 1-0 pitch Kai stole second. Liberty coach Dot Richardson challenged the play again, saying Luschar left early.
The umpires upheld the challenge, AGAIN, granting the Flames the third out of the inning. Luschar lifted her foot and then pushed off the base as the pitcher released the ball, out on a technicality each time.
Ma'ake smothered a ball down the line for the first out of extra innings. Chambers battled Doerr for several pitches, count all the way to 3-2 before getting her to ground out to Ma'ake as well.
Rachel Craine rapped a two-out single. Then Melyssa Lombardi employed some lawyer ball of her own. She called the umpires over, gesturing to the lineup card. Pinch runner Aubry Norris was signaled out, improperly reported number.
Kedre Luschar scalded a single up the middle and stole second, the Flames out of challenges, 2-0 to Ma'ake. The power hitting first baseman lifted a fly ball to deep center to send Luschar to third, just missing a home run.
Sinicki walked, bringing up the batting hero of the Eugene Regional, Dezianna Patmon. She hammered the second pitch she saw but foul. Then Patmon laced a single up the middle to score Luschar, Ducks win, 3-2.
George Steinbrenner once called Dave Winfield Mr. May but in Patmon's case the nickname Ms. May is a good thing. She's making a habit of clutch hits in big situations.
Chambers got the win with another 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.
The Ducks gathered around home plate to thank the crowd by throwing the "O" in unison, then sprinted out to the Bob to thank the fans in the bleachers. They need one more win to make Omaha.