The Oregon Ducks softball team opened their series against Iowa with a 10-1 victory on April 3 at Jane Sanders Stadium. The game ended in six innings due to the run rule, as Oregon’s offense produced nine hits, including two home runs by Amari Harper and a leadoff homer by Elon Butler.
The win is significant for the Ducks as it demonstrates both offensive strength and solid pitching, helping them improve their record to 27-9 overall and 8-2 in conference play. The game was played before a crowd of over two thousand fans during the team’s annual Bark in the Park night.
Butler said, “The energy is a big part of it. Our fans are great and I love playing here. This is a beautiful park, and I love everything about it. Being able to be at home and go through my routine, reset, and ground myself is helpful.” Butler became the first Duck since KK Humphreys in 2023 to hit a leadoff home run.
Harper contributed two-run homers in both the first and sixth innings. She said, “It’s awesome. It helps us knowing we have both sides of the ball, defensively and offensively. We know we can back Lyndsey Grein up even when they’re hitting harder balls. We’re there for her, but we can also back her up offensively…I look forward to carrying it into the weekend and seeing how it translates from today.” Harper now has ten home runs this season.
Pitcher Lyndsey Grein achieved her 600th career strikeout while holding Iowa to one run on two hits over six innings for her sixteenth win of the season. Head coach Melyssa Lombardi said, “I thought Lyndsey did great…She had five shutdown innings, and that is huge…Just really understood her game plan.” Lombardi also commented on Bark in the Park night: “Yeah, I actually noticed that in the first inning…They’ve been waiting for Bark in the Park…this group is just very united, and a good family…So this is always a night that they enjoy every year.”
Oregon will continue its series against Iowa with game two scheduled for Saturday at Jane Sanders Stadium.
