TUCSON, Ariz. – No. 20 Oregon dropped a 7-5 game to No. 25 Arizona in the series opener Friday night at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Oregon rallied twice and brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but fell just short.
How it Happened: Arizona (27-12-1, 8-8) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first after a walk and two singles, but the Ducks (23-14, 9-6) got a force out at home with shortstop Paige Sinicki firing to catcher Vallery Wong for the second out. Hansen then took things into her own hands by striking out Olivia DiNardo for the final out of the inning, keeping the game scoreless after the first inning.
But the Wildcats score four times in the third inning on a pair of two-run home runs to take a 4-0 lead.
Oregon cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth. Hanna Delgado doubled off the wall in left. Ariel Carlson followed with her 12th home run of the season into the bleachers in left center to make it 4-2.
Arizona got those runs back in the bottom of the inning, scoring two unearned, two-out runs to take a 6-2 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Delgado, Oregon’s center fielder, crashed head-first into the wall trying to make a catch. The game was delayed for several minutes as Delgado was tended to and eventually, she was taken to a local medical facility out of precaution.
The Wildcats added a run as a result for a 7-2 lead through the fifth, but the Ducks showed incredible resolve over the final two innings.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Emma Kauf singled through the left side. Katie Flannery followed with another single and Tehya Bird, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter the inning before, drove a 3-2 pitch out of the park for her first home run of the season as the Ducks clawed within 7-5.
Oregon had a couple of runners reach with two outs in the top of the seventh, but couldn’t bring the tying runs home.
Notable: Carlson is now one of just three players in the NCAA this season with 12 or more home runs and 13 or more stolen bases … Carlson’s two RBI give her 43 on the season as she remained in second in the Pac-12 behind Arizona’s Carlie Scupin, who also had two RBIs Friday … Delgado extended her hitting streak to eight games, while Alyssa Daniell ran hers to five games.
On Deck: The series with Arizona continues Saturday at noon (Pac-12 Network).
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