Liberty all that stands in 16-seed Oregon's path to Oklahoma City
- John Evans
- May 22
- 4 min read
EUGENE, Ore. — After Dezianna Patmon crushed a three-run, walk-off homer deep into the Eugene night to send her Ducks to the super regionals, the senior said her reason for doing so was simple.
"I wasn't hanging up the cleats today."
Patmon's homer to lift Oregon (51-8) past Stanford ensured that her career wouldn't come to an end on Sunday night. The Ducks had entered the day backed into a corner after losing what Lombardi called the "driver's seat game" by a devastating 14-1 score on Saturday, the biggest margin of defeat in her seven-year tenure leading Oregon. With their season on the brink, the Ducks had to beat the Cardinal twice in a row to stay alive. And that's exactly what they did, run-ruling them 15-5 to force a winner-take-all final game of the regional that Patmon would end with one swing.
This weekend, Oregon gets a chance to return to Jane Sanders Stadium once again, a place that Lombardi has called a "lion's den" all season, thanks to the home-field advantage it gives her team. The No. 16 Ducks appeared like they would be headed to College Station to visit Texas A&M, but thanks to a regional upset by the Liberty Flames (50-13), the super regionals will be in Eugene for the first time since 2018.
Oregon has had many goals this season, from winning the Big Ten championship to hosting and eventually winning a regional. But above them all has always stood one — Oklahoma City and the Women's College World Series. It's something this program hasn't accomplished since 2018, but for its players, it's a lifelong dream that is now in reach. Shortstop Paige Sinicki is one of six seniors who will be playing their final softball at The Jane this weekend, but despite all of her memories there, it's not where she wants to see her career come to a close.
"I don't want to hang up my cleats here," Sinicki said. "As much as I love The Jane, but I want to hang them up in a place that this program is going to be continuing to go to at OKC."
Others, like junior pitcher Lyndsey Grein, will be back next season. But that doesn't make her any less hungry. Although she has another year of eligibility, she knows that these next couple of weeks could be the last time that she gets to play with this group.
"My focus is really just I want to play a couple more games with my buddies," Grein said. "These are my closest friends, so that keeps me locked in and as focused as I can be to perform at my best ability."
These Ducks have been playing for each other all year. When talking to players around the program, the idea of not doing something for themselves, but rather for their teammates, is something that is constantly brought up. It's why they talk about taking strain from each other, knowing that every bit they can lighten the load on their teammates makes everyone around them better.
Against Stanford on Sunday, unfortunate circumstances required them to take on even more strain. In the second inning, star freshman first baseman Rylee McCoy — who earlier that day tied the single-season program record with her 19th home run — was struck in the face by a line drive ripped off the bat of Taryn Kern.
Although watching their teammate fall was hard for the Ducks, it was something they were ultimately able to rally behind.
"Once we all had that mindset and mission to do that for Rylee, we were unstoppable," Sinicki said.
Oregon trailed 4-0 when McCoy went down, but Katie Flannery's homer later that inning cut that lead to one before fellow freshman Emma Cox launched a two-run shot to answer Economides' second jack of the night, sparking a comeback that would result in Patmon's walk-off.
"We've got each other," Ma'ake said. "That, 'I got you,' really meant something right there. Emma showed it, the entire team showed it. Rylee's not alone, and we've always got her."
In a statement released through the team on Monday, McCoy said she is "hoping to make a quick return to the field as soon as it is safe to do so."
"For her to play, we would love that," Lombardi said to media this week. "But right now we're just taking it day-to-day."
While Liberty will present the Ducks with an easier matchup than having to travel to Texas A&M, Oregon knows not to take its opponent lightly. The Flames entered the tournament as the highest-ranked team from a non-power conference in the NCAA's RPI, while the Ducks have lost games to both Oregon State and Loyola Marymount this season. Although competing in Conference USA, Liberty dominated its lesser opponents on both sides of the ball, leading the league in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging on offense, and in ERA, strikeouts, and batting average against in the circle.
"All we can control is how we approach this upcoming weekend and how we attack Liberty," Grein said. "I think having the respect for Liberty for what they have accomplished throughout their season — obviously they're here, so they're a talented team — but not having any fear going into what we need to accomplish this weekend. It's a respect all, fear none mindset."
The two teams met at the beginning of last year, with Oregon winning 8-0 in just five innings in its third game of the season. Grein also had a chance to face them as a Hokie, tossing five innings of one-run ball in early April. Additionally, the Ducks got a look at a pair of Liberty starters, shortstop Savannah Whatley and left fielder Paige Doerr, last season while they were at Oregon State, combining to go 3-for-17 with a run and a two-RBI double in three games at The Jane.
"Any information, anytime you can play against them, it helps with your preparation," Lombardi said.
Game 1 between Oregon and Liberty will begin at 7 PM on Friday and will air on ESPNU before Saturday's Game 2 kicks off at 4 PM on ESPN/ESPN 2, with a third game to be determined if necessary.
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