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Oregon utility Elon Butler rounds the bases on a home run as the Oregon Ducks host the Saint Mary’s Gaels in an NCAA regional on May 16, 2026, at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
After taking down Idaho State to open the Eugene regional on Friday, Saturday Oregon looked to advance to the regional final on Sunday with a win over Mississippi State. A loss and the Ducks would need to play a 2nd Saturday game to keep their season alive
Top Bracket Game
Still without ace Lyndsey Grein due to an eye infeciton, Oregon turned to Elise Sokolsky on Saturday after she had a strong Friday outing.
Sadly the Bulldogs would get to Sokolsky early as the lead off runner walked and then Gretta Grassel would hit a home run to center field to give Mississippi State a very early 2-0 lead. Sokolsky would prevent any further damage from occurring but Oregon was in an early hole.
Through 2 innings the offence couldn’t get anything going and then in the 3rd inning Mississippi State would strike again with a Xiane Romero double to score a run and make it 3-0 and that was it for Sokolsky as Maddie Milhorn would reliever her for Milhorn’s first appearance in nearly a month. Milhorn would get the final out of the inning to keep the game 3-0.
The next inning Mississippi State would score their 4th run of the game with an RBI single up the middle and that would be more than enough for the Bulldogs as after Oregon drew a walk in the first inning the Ducks were unable to get a single base runner the rest of the game.
For what it is worth Milhorn did deliver a very good outing for the Ducks going 4.1 IP striking out 2 and only allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks.
Nonetheless the Ducks were now on the brink of elimination and would need to win the evening game to survive to Sunday.
Elimination Bracket Game
In the Elimination bracket Oregon was the designated road team meaning there bats would lead off the game and lead off they did in a big way as on the 2nd pitch of the game Oregon got it’s first hit of the day thanks to an Elon Butler home run
First pitch home run for Elon Butler! Her 19th of the season.
T1 | Ducks 1, Gaels 0#GoDucks | #Versionpic.twitter.com/qc50JdD7Dx
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) May 17, 2026
In the Circle Lombardi gave the ball to Taylour Spencer who was the only pitcher available that hadn’t pitched in the early game and she was giving the Ducks a very strong start, pitching 3 scoreless innings to start the game punctuated by two strikeouts in the 3rd.
Two strikeouts for Taylour Spencer in the bottom of the third.
E3 | Ducks 1, Gaels 0#GoDucks | #Version
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) May 17, 2026
In the 4th the Ducks would extend their lead thanks to a Katie Flannery 2 run home run to give the Ducks a 3 run lead.
Postseason Katie!!!
Flannery lines one out to center.
T4 | Ducks 3, Gaels 0#GoDucks | #Version
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) May 17, 2026
But then in the bottom half of the fourth, things unraveled for the Ducks. After the first two Gaels batters singled to start the inning Sokolsky came in to relieve Spencer. Sokolsky would get the first out of the inning but then give up a single to load the bases.
The next batter sent a ground ball to Ma’ake that she flubbed and then had the ball slowly bounce into right-field. 2 Gaels would score on the error and then the next batter would single out to left field to bring in two more runs to give Saint Mary’s the 4-3 lead.
In the Top of the 5th the Ducks would mount a 2 out rally to load the bases. Taryn Ho would then walk to bring in a run and tie the game and keep the bases loaded.
Freshman Taryn Ho comes through with a bases-loaded walk to tie the game!
M5 | Ducks 4, Gaels 4#GoDucks | #Version
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) May 17, 2026
Sadly Flannery would strike out with the bases loaded to keep the game tied going into the bottom half of the inning where the Gaels were able to re-take their lead on a 2 out triple down the right field line. Spencer came in to relieve Sokolsky and get the final out of the inning to ensure the runner on 3rd didn’t score.
In the 6th the Ducks tried to answer after getting two runners on with only one out but Emma Coxa and Kaylynn Jones would pop and fly out to end the inning.
Spencer was able to keep it a one run game in the 6th but the Ducks season was down to its final 3 outs if they couldn’t stretch a run across the board. After an Ayanna Shaw single Taryn Ho and Flannery couldn’t get her home to tie the game and the game was over. Oregon was eliminated on the Saturday of their own regional putting a close on the season.
Lombardi Butler, Sokolsky, and Harper did post-game media availability
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