NORMAN, Okla. – Making its 13th NCAA tournament appearance, the No. 21/RV nationally-ranked Boston University softball team fell to No. RV/24 Oregon, 8-0, on Friday evening at the University of Oklahoma's Love's Field.
With their seventh run-rule victory of the season, the Ducks (29-19) advance to Saturday's winner's bracket contest against the three-time defending national champion Sooners at 3 p.m. ET. Undone by a season-high four errors, the Terriers (52-5-1) had their 11-game win streak snapped and will next face Horizon League champion Cleveland State at 5:30 p.m. ET in the first elimination game of the Norman Regional.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Graduate student Caitlin Coker earned the first of BU's two singles in the first inning with two outs but ended up stranded at first.
- Oregon earned a one-out double in the bottom half against sophomore Kasey Ricard (27-4), who bounced back with a ground out and fly out.
- The Ducks took the lead for good in the second with a pair of home runs against Ricard and two-out RBI double against graduate student Lizzy Avery for a 4-0 lead.
- Oregon was in position to strike again in the third with the bases loaded, but senior Lauren Nett was able to make the catch on a fly ball and throw it home to graduate student Audrey Sellers to apply the tag in time for the double play.
- Trying to mount a rally, senior Kayla Roncin led off the fourth with a single up the middle, but the Ducks turned an impressive 6-4-3 double play on a hard grounder from Coker.
- Oregon scored a run in the bottom half off a throwing error during a rundown involving two Ducks and then put the game away in the fifth with three runs off three hits, a walk and RBI sac fly.
UP NEXT
- BU will next face Cleveland State on Saturday (May 18) at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
- The teams split two games held in Florida back in 2014.
