By Rob Moseley
GoDucks.com
NORMAN, Okla. — Eight days after a game in which not much went according to plan, the Oregon softball team flipped the script.
The Ducks won their NCAA Regional opener for the third year in a row Friday, run-ruling Boston University, 8-0, on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Ariel Carlson that clinched a five-inning shutout for Elise Sokolsky. The win came a little over a week after a loss in the Pac-12 Tournament, which the Ducks rebounded from with a shutout from Sokolsky, some stellar defense and a balanced offense that saw seven different players score or drive in a run.
“The thing I know about this team, since I’ve been a Duck day one, is that the bounce back is always for real,” UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “These guys do a good job of learning from adversity — things that don’t go our way — and really turning it into a positive.
“You could see the bounce back we had, to come out and be ourselves. When we’re ourselves we score early, we allow our offense and defense to really work momentum back-and-forth with each other, and they just play free.”
The Ducks (29-19) won their fourth straight NCAA Regional game, after sweeping through a regional hosted by Arkansas last spring. Oregon advanced to play Saturday at noon PT against regional host Oklahoma.
Sokolsky allowed two hits and a walk over five scoreless innings while striking out three. Carlson had a run-scoring double in Oregon’s four-run second inning along with the game-winning RBI, Vallery Wong and Tehya Bird homered in the second and the UO infield playing sparkling defense behind Sokolsky.
“Honestly it really inspires me … having that encouragement that I’m not just doing this for myself, I’m doing this for the people that are hitting, I’m doing this for the people that are working behind me too,” Sokolsky said. “So it’s really just encouraging to see them put up their fight for me — their best fight — and I’m gonna put up my best fight for them, too.”
How It Happened: Sokolsky allowed a two-out single in the top of the first, but the runner was cut down trying to steal by UO catcher Emma Kauf. Carlson’s first of two doubles on the day came with one out in the bottom of the first, but she advanced no farther than third.
Boston was retired in order in the top of the second, and then Oregon’s bats went to work. Wong started it off with a one-out, opposite-field homer, and two batters later Bird made it 3-0 with a two-run bomb to left field.
The homer was Bird’s fourth in NCAA Regional play, to go along with 12 RBIs. She had a pinch-hit homer at Arkansas in 2022, and two more in Fayetteville last season.
“This is my fourth time being in a regional now, so it definitely eases the nerves,” Bird said. “Especially being a senior now at this point, I don’t feel a lot of pressure going up there. It’s more just letting whatever happens happen, and going from there.”
The Ducks added on with two out in the second. Kai Luschar reached on an infield single, and Carlson brought her all the way around with a double for a 4-0 lead.
That was plenty of cushion for Sokolsky. She faced one over the minimum the rest of the way, thanks in part to a slick double play in the fourth turned by Paige Sinicki, Katie Flannery and Alyssa Daniell. Sokolsky has now allowed one earned run over her last three starts combined, having shut out Stanford in the regular-season finale and then battled gamely in the Ducks’ uneven performance that resulted in a loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament.
“You could just see from the beginning of the year to now, she’s built upon,” Lombardi said. “She’s gotten stronger and stronger and is in a really good place.”
Sokolsky made only six appearances after transferring to Oregon last year, missing most of the season due to injury. She appears to be making up for lost time down the stretch this spring.
“Yeah, it’s awesome being able to play in postseason this year,” Sokolsky said. “It’s been a pretty awesome experience and I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group. I’m just so blessed.”
The Ducks nearly added on in the third, loading the bases with one out before Bird flew out and a runner was thrown out at home for a double play. Undaunted, they tacked on in the fourth when Sinicki led off with a single, took third on a Luschar single and scored on a fielder’s choice.
Sokolsky retired the side with two strikeouts in the top of the fifth, sending the Ducks to the plate with a 5-0 lead and the chance to end the game with a run-rule win. Flannery, Wong and KK Humphreys all singled to load the bases with none out, and Bird made it 7-0 by reaching on a fielder’s choice — a play that brought two runs in thanks to an error. Sinicki walked to re-load the bases, and two batters later Carlson lofted a fly ball to right that brought Humphreys home with the game-winning run.
Notable: Carlson is now the only player in Division I with 15 doubles, 15 homers and 15 stolen bases this season. … Carlson’s 30 extra-base hits are tied for third in UO history, one behind record-holders Kaylan Howard (2012) and Katie Mackey (1999). … Carlson’s 54 RBIs this season are tied for seventh in UO history. … Carlson has tied her career-best seven-game hitting streak. … Wong hit her first home run since April 6.
Up Next: The Ducks face Oklahoma on Saturday (noon PT, ESPN+).
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