Oregon softball celebrated when it was assigned to the Fayetteville regional for the second year in a row. The group had unfinished business after a disappointing loss to Arkansas in 2022 that ended its NCAA Tournament hopes. Oregon has an opportunity to redeem itself this season, and it started with a 10-4 victory on Saturday against the same Arkansas team to advance to the regional final.
An eight-run fifth inning ended up being the difference in Saturday’s matchup. Tehya Bird showed up for the Ducks for the second game in a row with four runs batted in. Ariel Carlson also drove in three runs and went 3-for-4.
“We all understand that it’s postseason. You’re going to get everybody’s best,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “It’s continuing to do what we know how to do and sticking together as a group. The little things that we do go a long way and for them to continue that. I love their fight.”
Oregon started the game with a run in the first inning. Loff hitter Kai Luschar reached on an error and stole second base. Ariel Carlson singled to left field to drive in Luschar.
Arkansas evened the score in the bottom of the inning. With Razorbacks on the corners, a sacrifice fly to right field scored a run.
Hanna Delgado drove in Carlson in the fourth. The Ducks had a chance to take a two-run lead in the top of the inning but left a runner stranded on third.
Arkansas took its first lead of the game in the fourth. The Razorbacks singled to second base. Allee Bunker nearly caught an out on the play, but she lost the ball under the sun. The Razorbacks made the Ducks pay for the costly mistake on the next at-bat, hitting a two-run homer to left field. Oregon pitcher Morgan Scott responded with consecutive strikeouts and a groundout to end the inning.
“To watch her transform throughout the year and see the things she’s doing on the mound I think has been great,” Lombardi said. “Also, I think it credits her defense. She trusts the people around her and she trusts the offense as well. She doesn’t have to try to do this all on her own.”
The Oregon offense exploded in the fifth inning and the Ducks never looked back. Oregon scored eight runs with 13 batters and three different Arkansas pitchers in the inning.
“Our team is really big at responding after somebody else scores,” Bird said. “The first thing we’re saying when we get into the dugout is respond, respond. It’s the most important thing to us.”
Carlson was at bat with the bases loaded and one out. A controversial foul ball call made it a full count to the dismay of the Arkansas faithful in Fayetteville. She ripped it through the left side to score two runs.
Later in the fifth, a pinch-hit walk loaded the bases. Delgado singled to the left side to drive in another run.
It was Bird that silenced the crowd in Fayetteville. On a full count, Bird lifted the ball over the wall at left field for the grand slam. It was her second home run in two games for Oregon.
The Ducks batted around in the fifth. Bunker scored one more runner to give the Ducks 10 runs in the game.
Arkansas hit a solo homer in the sixth, but it wasn’t a big enough response to Oregon’s fifth-inning eruption.
“I think life doesn’t give you a lot of second chances and we were given one, so we wanted to take advantage of that,” Carlson said, referring to last season’s loss to Arkansas. “We’ve been in this ballpark before. We’ve faced this team before in front of this crowd, so it wasn’t anything new to us. We were ready and took what was ours.”
The Ducks will play in the regional final at 11 a.m. on Sunday. It will face the winner of Saturday night’s elimination game.