LOS ANGELES – No. 21 Oregon rallied from two runs down early, but gave up a couple of runs late in a 5-3 loss to No. 14 UCLA Thursday night at Easton Stadium.
Paige Sinicki and Katie Flannery hit their first home runs of the season for the Ducks (20-11, 7-3), who remained a half-game ahead of the Bruins (19-8, 5-2) and tied with Washington for second place in the Pac-12.
How it Happened: Paige Sinicki got Oregon on the board with a solo home run to lead off the third. She crushed a 2-2 pitch over the tall scoreboard in left field.
UCLA took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third on a two-run home run followed by a triple that later scored.
Freshman Katie Flannery got a run back for the Ducks with a two-out home run in the top of the fourth. She hit an 0-2 pitch out to right field for her first homer as a Duck.
The Ducks kept clawing back and tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth. Vallery Wong led the inning off and was hit by a pitch. Regan Legg ran for her and tied the game on Emma Kauf’s double to the wall in right center.
But the Bruins scored twice in the bottom of the inning and held on to win game one.
Noteworthy: It was Sinicki’s eighth career home run but her first since May 20, 2022, against Wichita State in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional … This was the eighth time Legg has scored a run as a pinch-runner … Kauf threw out a runner in the fourth inning. It was her sixth runner caught stealing of the season, which is tied for second in the Pac-12.
On Deck: Game two against UCLA will be Friday at 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks).
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