The Oregon Ducks softball team lost to Ohio State, 3-0, in the opening game of their Big Ten series at Jane Sanders Stadium on April 24. The defeat ended a 12-game winning streak for the Ducks and marked only the second time this season they have been shut out.
The outcome is significant as Oregon had previously won 14 straight Big Ten series over two seasons. To continue that streak, the team will need to win the remaining games of the weekend series.
Ohio State pitcher Lorin Boutte allowed five hits and no walks over seven innings, holding Oregon scoreless. “I thought she did a good job of getting us to be late on her riseball and just have a lot of fly balls in the air,” Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “We needed to get to be on time on those and we needed to hit the ball hard on a line.”
Despite outhitting Ohio State five to four, Oregon advanced only two runners into scoring position and none reached third base. Lombardi said, “I thought we competed, but I think we needed to make adjustments faster. That’s where I think we ran into problems. These guys always come out and compete 100 percent; I just think our adjustments needed to be quicker in the game.” Pitcher Lyndsey Grein struck out ten batters but gave up two solo home runs and an unearned run during her outing.
“I thought Lindsay battled,” Lombardi said. “I thought she gave us an opportunity to win the entire game. That’s a tough team. They swing. They’ve got good power, and we knew that. But I loved the way she competed.” Key moments included missed opportunities with runners left stranded in several innings while Ohio State capitalized with home runs from Kiki Estrada.
Looking ahead, Oregon will face Ohio State again Saturday as they attempt to even up or take back control of their current Big Ten series.
