No. 15 Oregon secured two wins at the Cardinal Classic on Saturday, defeating Cal State Fullerton 5-4 and Kentucky 9-0 at West Valley College’s Viking Field in Saratoga, California.
In the first game against Cal State Fullerton, Addison Amaral delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 4-4 tie. Amaral said, “It was a lot of fun doing that in front of all my family and friends. It was a great team win overall. To get runners on so early with no outs it allowed me to do my thing at the plate.
“I absolutely love this team,” Amaral added. “They’re everything to me. Transferring here, they’ve been such a family so to be able to do that for them was just a lot of fun.”
Lyndsey Grein pitched four innings in relief, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out seven to secure the win for Oregon.
The second game saw pitcher Taylour Spencer throw a one-hit shutout against Kentucky, striking out 10 batters and setting a new career high. The Ducks’ offense produced nine runs on 11 hits, including a four-run fourth inning.
“I loved the way we played both games today,” coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “I loved how we came out of the gates, kept scoring runs. We totally battled in the first game. In the second game, we picked right up where we left off at the end of the first game.”
Lombardi also praised her team’s approach at the plate: “We’re definitely powerful through the lineup, but then if we need to do situational hitting we know how to do that as well. It’s about understanding what we need from you, getting it done and letting the next woman come up. I really saw that with (Amaral) and the rest of the group today.”
On Spencer’s performance in the circle, Lombardi said: “Loved Taylour on the mound. She was really, really good. Loved her change of speed, just constantly pounding the zone.”
Spencer commented on her shutout performance: “I felt really confident because I had my team behind me and I was really happy with how we were playing, how we were rolling so it felt really good.”
Shortstop Addison Amaral also spoke about Spencer: “She’s awesome to play behind. All of her energy. And you just want to be there as an infielder to back her so it was a great, great win being behind her.”
Ayanna Shaw has reached base in nearly every appearance during this tournament with seven hits in eight at-bats along with two RBIs and two stolen bases. Kaylynn Jones is batting .556 for the tournament while Elon Butler is hitting .444 with extra-base hits and three RBIs.
The event was moved from Stanford due to permitting issues at their new stadium.
Oregon will face No. 13 Stanford next at West Valley College.
Coach Lombardi concluded: “I just want us to continue playing like we did today. This is who we are and I want it to continue.”
