Ducks Take On No. 1 UCLA, Utah

Oregon Notes - UCLA, Utah

Off to a 7-0 start for the second straight year, Oregon will head to Tempe, Ariz. for a trio of nonconference tests against Pac-12 opponents, taking on No. 1 UCLA on Sunday at 1 p.m. and Monday at 10 a.m. and Utah on Sunday at 4 p.m. Each of Oregon's last three wins against No. 1-ranked teams have come against the Bruins with the last coming in the series opener in Los Angeles in 2019. The Ducks trail the all-time series with UCLA, 85-28, and hold a 31-12 advantage all-time against Utah.
 
GAME INFO

 
DID YOU KNOW?
Pitcher Brooke Yanez is one of just two pitchers in the country with 30-plus strikeouts in three or fewer appearances with 30 over three games heading into the weekend.
 
PERFECT START
Oregon rolled to a perfect 7-0 start to the season behind dominant pitching and a balanced offense. After securing four run-rule wins on opening weekend, the Ducks swept a two-game series at Fresno State with 10-2 and 2-1 wins this past Saturday and Sunday. Oregon is outscoring its opponents by an average of 7.29-1.00 runs per game, while winning five of the seven games by at least eight runs. The Ducks have won 13 straight games dating back to last season, which is tied for the sixth-longest active streak nationally.
 
STRONG START
After last year's team got off to the second-best start in school history through 24 games, the Ducks have picked up where they left off, starting 7-0 through the first two weekends of the season. Oregon has started at least 7-0 in each the last two seasons, while winning at least six in a row to start the season in all of head coach Melyssa Lombardi's first three years. It's also the sixth time in school history that the Ducks have won at least seven straight to begin a season.
 
CONTINUED DOMINANCE
After a strong opening weekend, Oregon pitching continued its dominant ways in the circle with more of the same in two games at Fresno State. Three Ducks pitchers combined to give up just five hits over 14 innings with 18 strikeouts to just two walks against the Bulldogs this past weekend. In Saturday's game, Brooke Yanez turned in her first complete-game effort of the year, striking out 12 while allowing two runs on just two hits. She retired the final 17 batters she faced after allowing a pair of first-inning runs. On Sunday, Raegan Breedlove and Samaria Diaz combined for seven innings of one-run ball, fanning six without issuing any walks. Breedlove retired the first seven batters she faced, giving Oregon pitching a streak of 24 straight Fresno State batters retired spanning between games one and two.
 
PITCHER PERFECT
In the second game of the year, Samaria Diaz and Raegan Breedlove combined to throw the fourth perfect game in school history in an 8-0 win over Montana in five innings. The pair retired all 15 batters they faced, combining for five strikeouts, while getting six outs via fly ball and four on the ground. It was also the 33rd no-hitter in school history and just the second combined no-no while the performance was the second time that Oregon has no-hit Montana, the other time coming on March 10, 2018. Diaz tossed the first 3.2 innings of the perfecto with four strikeouts, while Breedlove went 1.1 innings out of the bullpen, striking out one.
 
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Through the first seven games of the year, Oregon is tied for ninth nationally in doubles with 17. The Ducks have had a two-bagger in each of the first seven games of the season with nine different players picking up a double over the first two weekends. Haley Cruse leads the Pac-12 and is tied for second nationally with her five doubles - all of which came on opening weekend - while Rachel Cid has three and Lexi Wagner and Shaye Bowden have two each. Additionally, Oregon had six doubles in a five-inning run-rule victory over Montana on Feb. 12, just one shy of the program single-game record of seven.