EUGENE, Ore. – Alyssa Daniell homered twice before Ariel Carlson sent 1,409 fans at Jane Sanders Stadium home happy with a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning as No. 22 Oregon took the series opener against Arizona State, 3-2, Friday night.
The Ducks (17-10, 5-2) gave up two unearned run the top of the first inning, but that was all that Morgan Scott allowed to cross the plate. Daniell cut the lead in half with a solo home run in the fourth inning and then tied the game at 2-2 with her second homer of the game in the sixth.
That set the stage for Carlson. Who drove a one-out fly ball deep to left. Paige Sinicki tagged at third and comfortably raced home with the winning run.
“We see us chipping away at the game, it was just a matter of time,” said coach Melyssa Lombardi. “I felt like this group was never down on themselves at all. We were just chipping away; it was a matter of time. “
Scott was sublime in keeping the Sun Devils off the scoreboard after the first inning. She tossed her third complete game of the year, allowing two runs – both unearned – on five hits. Scott (7-4) struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.
“I think Morgan threw well,” said Lombardi. “She got better every inning.
“In one inning with runners at second and third they had their best hitter up and Morgan did a good job of coming in and getting the strikeout,” Lombardi said. “She threw the ball hard and did a good job working ahead and changing speeds”
How it Happened: ASU (17-12, 2-5) scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning. With one out, Kelsey Hall reached on an error. Tanya Windle followed with a single. Scott struck out the next batter, Kayla Lissy, but designated player Jordan VanHook singled into right to score both runners and ASU led 2-0.
Scott the retired the next eight batters in a row before VanHook singled in the fourth, but Scott set down the next two batters to end the inning.
Daniell led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run that cut ASU’s lead in half. She golfed a 1-1 pitch at the knees down the right field line for her fifth homer of the season.
Scott then retired the side in order in the fifth and worked around a one-out single in the sixth to keep the Sun Devils at bay.
Daniell led off the bottom of the sixth with a line drive home run off the scoreboard in right field to tie the game, 2-2.
“I gave away my first at-bat, I chase balls outside my zone,” said Daniell. “Nothing is more frustrating than striking out or swinging and missing.
“My approach next at-bat was to work the zone and attack the pitches down the middle because I would get those,” said Daniell. “I was not going to be denied. It didn’t matter if the pitch was up high or down, I was thinking I was going all out. I got hungry, and mad. I just wanted to get on base.”
Scott buckled down after allowing a one-out double in the top of the seventh, getting a pop out and a ground out to end the inning.
The bottom of the Ducks’ order set things in motion for Carlson’s heroics. Sinicki worked an 11-pitch walk to lead off the inning. Hanna Delgado followed with her third hit of the game, a double that chased Sinicki to third. Kai Luschar flied out to a drawn-in outfield for the first out of the inning.
Carlson, the No. 2 RBI producer in the Pac-12, then lifted a 1-0 pitch to left field that was easily deep enough to score Sinicki from third for the win.
Quotable
OF Alyssa Daniell on the team’s second walk-off win of the season
“Every game it means a little more knowing we are coming together. We see it in each other, confidence one through nine anyone can get it done.”
Noteworthy: Daniell’s two-home run game was the third of her career and the second of the season (Long Beach State) … Delgado was 3-for-3 with a double and a triple. It was her eighth career triple, which ties her for eighth on the UO career list … Emma Kauf extended her hitting streak to seven games with a double in the fourth … Luschar’s hitting streak came to an end at seven games, while Carlson’s streak ended at six games.
On Deck: Game two of the Arizona State series will be Saturday at 2 p.m. (Pac-12 Oregon).
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