Oregon softball advances to Super Regional on monster grand slam

It was a magical scene in Fayetteville, Arkansas Sunday for the Oregon Ducks as they rallied late to secure a 14-4 win over Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional to advance to Super Regionals.

The Ducks did so in breathtaking fashion, as a walk-off grand slam by senior outfielder Ariel Carlson closed out the game for Oregon and brought them one step closer to World Series glory.

Carlson had a stellar finish to Sunday’s game, as the Razorbacks and Ducks entered the bottom of the fourth inning tied 4-4. An RBI single from Kai Luschar gave the Ducks a 5-4 lead to end the fourth inning, but Calrson started to open things up for the Ducks in fifth inning with a two-run home run over the left field wall to extend Oregon’s lead to 7-4.

The Oregon scoring rally would continue until she got up to bat again in the fifth inning with a 10-4 lead and the bases loaded, as she’d put the dagger into the Razorbacks with a grand slam that would prompt a run-ahead rule win and an all-out celebration for the Ducks that can be seen below.

Oregon Softball is moving onto the Super Regionals after closing out the game with a grand slam 🙌 pic.twitter.com/UmWRIb8u82

— ESPN (@espn) May 21, 2023

Carlson had a tremendous series for Oregon, ending her three-game Regional stretch with seven hits, two home runs, and a whopping 10 RBIs. She helped the Ducks secure a flawless 3-0 record in the Fayetteville Regionals with a win over Notre Dame and two dominant wins over Arkansas.

The win marks Oregon’s 10th Super Regional appearance all-time and their first under head coach Melyssa Lombardi in her fifth season at the helm. Super Regionals will take place from May 25-28, as the Ducks will take on No. 6 Oklahoma State.

More on Ariel Carlson

Sunday’s standout performance meant a little bit more to Ariel Carlson, a Eugene, Oregon native who’s dreamed of performing big for the Ducks in a big moment for quite some time.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” said Carlson. “I grew up watching Oregon softball, I grew up watching coach (Nikki) Ragin play — all of my favorite players — and it was a dream to be able to come here. And then I just wanted to be able to do it for the girls after me, and then for my girls that I’m playing around every single day. So it’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.”

Carlson became just the sixth player in school history to hit two home runs in the same postseason game, also matching the school postseason record for RBIs in a single game with her seven. And hopefully, she can keep her new hot streak going in the Stillwater Super Regional.