Oregon softball staves off elimination with win against BU in NCAA Regional, faces Oklahoma

The Oregon softball team got a victory against Boston University for the second straight day and will now get another chance against mighty Oklahoma — and possibly two — as the Ducks attempt to keep their season alive.

Morgan Scott silenced the Terriers from the circle early and Oregon got home runs from KK Humphreys and Katie Flannery as the Ducks won the NCAA Norman (Oklahoma) Regional elimination game 8-2 Saturday night at Love’s Field.

The Ducks (30-20) and No. 2 Sooners (51-6) will play at noon Sunday in the final day of the double-elimination tournament.

With a loss, Oregon’s season will be over. With a win, it will play Oklahoma again at 2:30 for the chance to advance to the Super Regionals for the second straight season.

The Ducks, who beat the Terriers 8-0 in five innings on Friday, lost 6-3 to the Sooners Saturday afternoon.

Oregon had 13 hits against Boston, including two each from Flannery, Humphreys, Paige Sinicki and Vallery Wong. Every starter had at least one hit.

Alyssa Daniell got Oregon on the scoreboard with an RBI double in the second inning, but it was Humphreys who put the Ducks in control with a three-run homer in the fourth as they went up 4-0.

Flannery belted a two-run homer in the fifth to make it 6-0 and Sinicki drove in a pair with a two-run double in the fifth to make it 8-0.

The Terriers staved off a run-rule loss with a run in the bottom half of the fifth inning and then added another run in the sixth.

Scott was in control during her 4⅓ innings. She allowed one run on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

The Terriers (53-6-1) came into the regional on an 11-game winning streak and an NCAA-leading 1.26 ERA.

The Ducks’ dominated the two games, however.

Their batters recorded 16 runs, 23 hits, four home runs and three doubles in 12 innings between the two games.

Oregon’s pitchers allowed just two runs and six hits combined.

Ducks begin Saturday with loss to Sooners

Kelly Maxwell continues to stymie the Oregon softball team.

The starter for No. 2 Oklahoma dominated the Ducks on Saturday as Oregon lost to the Sooners 6-3 in an NCAA Tournament Regional game at Love’s Field in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Ducks (29-20), who dropped to 1-1 in the double-elimination tournament, will play a knock-out game scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday against the loser of the afternoon game between Cleveland State-Boston University. If Oregon wins, it’ll advance to play Oklahoma again on Sunday.

Oregon defeated the Terriers 8-0 in five innings in the regional opener on Friday.

Maxwell ended the Ducks’ season last year in their Super Regional series against Oklahoma State.

Then the star pitcher for the Cowgirls, Maxwell faced Oregon twice and went 2-0 with two complete-game shutouts. She allowed a combined four hits, no runs, no walks and 23 strikeouts. She then transferred to Oklahoma, the three-time reigning national champions.

She was just as impressive on Saturday as she limited Oregon to one hit, one run, two base runners, walked none and struck out eight in a combined seven innings of work.

The Ducks got to Maxwell early, as No. 2 hitter Ariel Carlson belted a home run in the first inning. Their only other base runner through the first six innings was Alyssa Daniell, who was hit by a pitch in the second inning.

Oregon didn’t get another hit until the seventh, when Oklahoma brought in closer Karlie Keeney to finish off the game. Instead, the Ducks took advantage of the new arm with three straight hits.

Emma Kauf led off the inning with a homer, Vallery Wong followed with a double, and Katie Flannery hit an RBI single to cut Oregon's deficit to three runs.

Keeney was pulled and replaced by Maxwell, who returned to the circle and got her eighth strikeout followed by a game-ending double play.

The Sooners took the lead early in the game, as they answered Carlson’s homer with two runs in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Kasidi Pickering and an RBI single by former Duck Alyssa Brito to go up 2-1.

The one-run battle ended when the Sooners got two-run homers in the fifth and sixth innings from Tiare Jennings and Ella Parker, respectively.

Morgan Scott started for the Ducks and allowed three hits and two runs in her three innings.

Elise Sokolsky and Taylour Spencer allowed two runs each.

Follow Chris Hansen on X @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. 

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon softball gets rematch against Oklahoma in NCAA Regional