The Ducks and Bruins have engaged themselves in a chess match for the top spot in the Big Ten. With the teams sparring back and forth all weekend, Oregon finally surged ahead on Sunday, recapturing the top spot.
No.6 UCLA (41-7, 13-3 Big Ten) fell to No.5 Oregon (41-5, 14-2 Big Ten)9-0 in a crucial conference rubber match at Jane Sanders Stadium in Oregon. The game didn’t even make it out of the fifth inning, as UCLA suffered its first run-rule defeat of the season.
A remarkable bounce-back from their loss the day prior claimed the series victory for the Ducks, who hadn’t won one against the Bruins in over seven years.
After winning 8-0 on Saturday, all of the momentum was leaning their way, yet UCLA came out sluggish and seemingly unprepared.
After forcing a swift 1-2-3 top of the first, Oregon notched two runs in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a series of mishaps from the Bruin defense. A pair of wild pitches, conceded by Kaitlyn Terry, advanced two Duck baserunners, both of whom went on to score.
In the bottom of the third, Oregon scored another two runs. A triple from senior Kedre Luschar scored her older sister Kai Luschar with one out in the inning. Just four pitches later, a ground ball forced Kedre Luschar into a rundown. Trapped between third base and home plate, she caught a break when a misfired throw by UCLA’s catcher Sofia Mujica allowed her to score, extending the Ducks’ lead to 4-0.
By the bottom of the fourth, UCLA’s arms began to lose whatever steam they had left. A quick single and walk put runners on first and second with no outs. Oregon’s Kaylynn Jones then blasted her first career home run to right field, scoring three.
Hoping for some sense of stability, Taylor Tinsley came in to pitch, but she had no answer for the Oregon bats either. Tinsley proceeded to allow two more runs before finally ending the Ducks’ barrage.
The Bruins’ 9-0 defeat marked their most runs allowed and their first time being shut out in Big Ten play. With an opportunity to take the sole position of the No.1 seed in the conference, the UCLA bats disappeared.
The team’s three hits were tied for their fewest of the season, with two of them coming from Alexis Ramirez. Oregon’s ace Lyndsey Grein, now an impressive 25-1, completely neutralized the Bruin batters, pitching all five scoreless innings and striking out three. Grein’s 1.12 ERA ranks top 10 in the nation, alongside her 96% win percentage.
With eight games remaining in the season, UCLA still has plenty of time to play catch-up in order to secure the Big Ten’s No.1 seed for the conference tournament. They’ll return home for a match against Long Beach State before traveling to Ann Arbor to face the 31-15 Michigan Wolverines in a three-game set.
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Featured Image Photographed by Catherine Rodriguez/BruinLife.
