FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — On the road from Bogle Park to Super Regionals, the Oregon softball team is in the driver's seat.

The Ducks are one win away from the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament after beating regional host Arkansas on Saturday, 10-4. Oregon can make its 10th Super Regional appearance all-time and the first of the Melyssa Lombardi era with a win Sunday, and the Ducks will have two chances to get it if necessary after winning Saturday to claim the "driver's seat" at the Fayetteville Regional.

"We've been talking about postseason mentality all year," Lombardi said. "To really see them come out today and for every single person on our team to have a hand in what we did, I'm just proud of them."

A year after being eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with two losses to Arkansas at Bogle Park in the regional round, the Ducks turned the tables Saturday thanks in large part to an eight-run fifth inning that included a grand slam by Tehya Bird.

"Life doesn't give you a lot of second chances, and we were given one," said UO senior Ariel Carlson, who was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs Saturday. "And so we wanted to take advantage of that. 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. So we were just ready."

How It Happened: Early in the game the Ducks would punch, and Arkansas would counterpunch. Kai Luschar reached on an error to open the game, stole second and scored on Carlson's first hit of the day, but Arkansas answered with a run in the bottom of the first off UO starter Morgan Scott (13-6).

It was a similar story in the fourth inning. Carlson led off with a single, took second on a hit by KK Humphreys and scored on a single by Hanna Delgado that gave Oregon a 2-1 lead. But after a blooper got lost by the UO defense in the sun to open the bottom of the fourth, the Razorbacks used a two-run homer to go up 3-2.

This time, it was Oregon's turn to counterpunch — and the Ducks threw a knockout blow. They sent 13 hitters to the plate in the top of the fifth, blowing the game open with an eight-run inning.

"Hitting is definitely contagious," Carlson said. "Being able to just see your teammate do it in front of you, and then give information down the lineup just makes it that much easier."

Paige Sinicki and Luschar both singled to open the fifth, the first of two hits in the inning for both UO batters. They moved up a base each on a passed ball, and Terra McGowan worked a one-out walk to lead the bases.

Carlson put Oregon back in front 4-3 with a two-run single, and pinch-hitter Vallery Wong walked with two outs to load the bases again. Delgado drove a single through the left side of the infield to make it 5-3, and up to the plate came Bird, who had a three-run homer in Friday's regional win over Notre Dame.

Once again, Bird worked an epic at-bat. At one point she thought she'd drawn a walk before hearing the strike call from the home-plate umpire, and later in the at-bat Bird fouled off a ball that got a piece of her. But she fought off a series of inside pitches, then sat back on a changeup and lofted it out to left field for a grand slam.

"Our team is really big on responding after somebody else scores," Bird said. "Our biggest thing — the first thing we're saying when we get into the dugout — is respond, respond. It's the most important thing to us."

Up 9-3, the Ducks weren't quite done. Sinicki and Luschar both singled again, and Allee Bunker brought Sinicki around for a 10-3 lead.

That was more than enough cushion for Scott, who recorded the final four outs of Friday's regional opener before going the distance in the circle Saturday. She allowed a solo home run in the sixth, but that would be it as the Ducks weathered everything Arkansas threw at them and still came away with a comfortable win.

"They all understand that it's postseason — you're gonna get everybody's best, nobody's gonna show up and lay over," Lombardi said. "So it's just continuing to do what we know how to do and sticking together. The little things that we do go a long way. I love their fight."

Notable: Oregon's 13 hits were one shy of the program record in an NCAA Tournament, set four times previously. … Bunker's RBI to cap the fifth-inning outburst was her 54th this season, tied for seventh on the UO single-season list. She now has 169 career RBIs, tied for fourth in UO history with Gwen Svekis. … Bird has three home runs and nine RBIs in four career games at Bogle Park. … Alyssa Daniell's sacrifice bunt to set up a run in the fourth inning was the first of the season.

Quotable:
Junior third baseman Tehya Bird on grinding out long at-bats before big hits
"I think I've changed my mindset from like, 'wow, this is a long at-bat, how am I gonna do this' into, like, this is a long at-bat, this is in my advantage. I get to see a lot more pitches, so it's in my advantage now. So I think it was just a flip in my mentality and it's helped me a lot."

Senior outfielder Ariel Carlson on how the Ducks will handle being in the driver's seat
"Our mentality this whole time has been getting caught up in the little things, celebrating each other and playing for each other. That's what's gotten us here and so that's just what we're going to keep doing."

Up Next: The Ducks will look to clinch the regional Sunday at 11 a.m. PT, and would have a second chance to clinch later Sunday in the event of a loss.

THAT'S how it's done! 👏@OregonSB's 8-run fifth inning propels them past No. 11 Arkansas, into Fayetteville Regional final. Highlights ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/7oKMpJWY3a

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) May 20, 2023