Takeaways from Oregon softball's weekend of mixed results at Mary Nutter Classic
It was another weekend of mixed results for the No. 23 Oregon softball team.
The Ducks went 3-2 during their three days at the Mary Nutter Classic tournament in Cathedral City, California.
They beat Central Florida, 4-3, and then lost to Baylor, 3-2, on Thursday. They followed with wins against Notre Dame, 8-2, and Long Beach State, 11-4, on Friday, then dropped their tournament finale to Nebraska on Saturday, 6-0.
With those results, Oregon is now 9-7 with one more preseason tournament — the Jane Sanders Classic at home next weekend — before Pac-12 play begins on March 8 with home series against California.
Inconsistencies at the plate didn’t help Ducks
It was either feast or famine for Oregon’s hitters over the weekend.
On Thursday, the Ducks had 11 hits totals, including four that went for extra bases.
Friday they had 25 hits with six home runs and three doubles.
That included a big day for outfielder Ariel Carlson, who had five hits in eight at-bats, two homers, a double, eight RBIs and four runs scored.
Vallery Wong and Alyssa Daniell also hit two home runs each on Friday.
In Saturday’s finale, however, the bats were silenced again as Oregon had just five hits — three by Kai Luschar — as the Ducks were shutout for the third time this season.
Kai Luschar continues scorching start to the season
The Ducks’ left fielder and lead-off hitter has reached base safely in all 16 game this season and leads the Pac-12 with a batting average of .500.
In the five games over the weekend, Luschar went a combined 9-for-15 with four runs, two walks and two stolen bases.
She's Oregon’s leader in hits (27), runs (14) and stolen bases (10).
What’s next for Oregon
The Ducks are hosting the Jane Sanders Classic Thursday-Saturday at Jane Sanders Stadium.
Washington, Florida State, Maryland and Mount St. Mary’s are the other participants, though Oregon will not play the Huskies.
The Ducks’ first game is at 3:30 p.m. Thursday against Mount St. Mary’s. They’ll play Maryland at 6 p.m. Thursday and then again at 6 p.m. Friday. Oregon and Florida State will play at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon softball sees mixed results at Mary Nutter Classic
