Ariel Carlson tied a season-high in RBIs and helped extend Oregon’s win streak to eight game.
Carlson went 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the No. 16 Ducks in an 8-3 win over Arizona in front of 2,163 at Jane Sanders Stadium Saturday afternoon.
As was the case Friday night, Hanna Delgado and Kai Luschar sparked the Oregon (30-11, 10-7 Pac-12) offense.
The outfielders hit back-to-back out-out singles to briefly chase Ali Blanchard from the circle in the third. Allee Bunker snapped her career-long 0 for 12 slump with an RBI single to left-center off Davyn Netz. Terra McGowan followed with a two-run double to right center and scored on an RBI single by Carlson that made it 4-0.
After a 25-pitch first inning Stevie Hansen (17-4) settled in. She worked around a leadoff single in the second and retired the next six straight.
The sophomore right-hander attacked the zone in the fourth and fifth, but lost command after back-to-back strikeouts.
A two-out walk to UA’s 9 hitter proved costly as Blaise Biringer doubled to left to get Arizona (25-20, 3-14) on the board and ended the day for Hansen, who allowed two runs on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4.2 innings. After a hit batter, Olivia DiNardo roped a two-run double to right to get the Wildcats within 4-3.
Oregon got the runs back in the bottom of the inning. Blanchard (6-2) walked KK Humphreys on four pitches and fell behind Carlson 3-0 before the Eugene native swatted a 3-1 pitch over the wall in right to end the day for UA’s starter, who allowed four runs on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts over 4.0 innings. Tehya Bird followed with a solo bomb to left off Aissa SIlva to make it 7-3.
McGowan hit a one-out double and scored on a single by Katelyn Howard in the sixth.
Raegan Breedlove allowed a run on a hit, walk and hit batter over 1.1 innings and Morgan Scott closed out the seventh for the Ducks, who will go for the series sweep at noon Sunday.
The Oregonian/OregonLive will update this story.
