Oregon Softball defeated Michigan State 14-0 in five innings Saturday, securing at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship. The win came at Jane Sanders Stadium and clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.
The championship marks the Ducks' first conference title since 2018, when they won the PAC-12 crown. It is also the first conference championship for coach Melyssa Lombardi since she took over the program in 2019.
Oregon’s offense produced 13 hits and benefited from key scoring opportunities. Rylee McCoy hit two home runs, and Paige Sinicki added a three-run homer.
The victory followed a 6-4 loss to Michigan State the previous day, a game where Oregon committed three errors and failed to produce timely hits. Saturday's performance showed a change in approach.
“Yesterday was tough,” Lombardi said. “We didn’t get what we wanted but we learn from it, we grow from it and we are better for it and you could see that today.”
In the first inning, Kedre Luschar hit a sacrifice fly to score Kai Luschar. McCoy followed with a two-run homer to center field, giving Oregon a 3-0 lead.
Sinicki extended the lead in the second with a two-out, three-run homer to left field, her seventh of the season.
The Ducks broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning. McCoy hit her second homer, a solo shot. The inning also included two bases-loaded walks and RBI singles from Kai Luschar and Kedre Luschar.
Elise Sokolsky pitched five shutout innings for Oregon. She allowed three hits and two walks while striking out five. Michigan State pitcher Carsyn Cassady allowed six runs on five hits over 1 2/3 innings.
Oregon holds a 46-6 overall record and is 18-3 in conference play, securing at least a share of the title with UCLA (17-4). The Ducks hold the tiebreaker over UCLA after winning two of three games against the Bruins in April.
The teams were scheduled to conclude their series Sunday. A win would give Oregon the outright regular-season conference championship.