Ducks Drop Top-10 Showdown With No. 1 UCLA
Box Score - #1 UCLA 9, #8 Oregon 3 | Boxscore
TEMPE, Ariz. – Oregon couldn't recover after facing an early deficit following some costly miscues in a 9-3 loss to No. 1 UCLA in a nonconference showdown Monday. The loss ended the eighth-ranked Ducks' perfect start to the season and snapped a 15-game winning streak dating back to the end of last year.
How it Happened: The Bruins (7-1) got to Oregon starting pitcher Jordan Dail right off the bat, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning to make it 2-0. After a leadoff double, the Bruins' Aaliyah Jordan hit a two-run shot to left field to put the Ducks in an early hole.
Oregon (9-1) would answer by cutting the lead in half with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Haley Cruse led off the inning with a single, then was replaced on the bases with Terra McGowan following a fielder's choice. McGowan stole second, and after a strikeout Allee Bunker came up and delivered a clutch two-out RBI double to right center making it 2-1.
UCLA capitalized on some mistakes by the Ducks to add two more runs in the second and one in the third. In the second, two Bruin runs came around to score on a passed ball and throwing error to make it 4-1, before a leadoff walk to start the third inning moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly, making it 5-1.
The Ducks scored single runs in the third and fourth innings to trim the deficit to two runs. Rachel Cid ripped a one-out solo homer to left in the third inning to make it 5-2, then in the fourth Hanna Delgado drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, E9, cutting it to 5-3.
The Bruins opened things up late, scoring single runs in the fifth and sixth innings before breaking it open with a two-run homer in the seventh.
Notable: The loss snapped Oregon's 15-game winning streak dating back to the end of last season … The Ducks have now scored 39 of their 64 runs on the season with two outs after adding another one Monday … Cid turned in her second multi-hit game of the year, going 2-for-4 with a homer and a double … Bunker picked up her team-leading 13th RBI of the year, finishing 2-for-4 with a double … Mya Felder turned in her second straight multi-hit game and third of the season, going 2-for-2 with a walk … Kliethermes struck out a career-high six batters out of the bullpen, going a career-long 4.2 innings while giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits … This is the first time since the 2019 season finale that Oregon pitching has allowed more than five runs in a game, snapping a streak of 33 games.
On Deck: The Ducks open play at Jane Sanders Stadium when they host Portland State and Boise State next weekend starting with a doubleheader at 2:30 and 5 p.m. Friday.