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Oregon survives in extras, walks off Ole Miss in WCWS elimination game

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby:Brady Vernon•05/31/25•

BradyVernon

Screenshot 2025-05-30 at 10.35.50 PM
Crash Kamon/Softball America

Friday’s elimination game between Oregon and Ole Miss was truly never-say-die. Kedre Luschar kept her breakout senior campaign going after the outfielder led the Ducks to a 6-5 win with a walk-off walk to end it.

The two teams combined for six errors and left 22 runners on base. Oregon loaded the bases via one of those Ole Miss mistakes and two infield singles before Luschar drew the game-winning walk.

The sloppy defense started early for both teams. The top of the Oregon order clicked together the third time through the order against Ole Miss starter Bri Lopez. Kai Luschar slapped a ball over Ashton Lansdell for a lead-off double. Kedre Luschar bunted, likely making it safely to first anyway, but Lansdell threw the ball away, letting the go-ahead run score. Rylee McCoy doubled into the gap, ending Lopez’s night. Kaylynn Jones provided another run with a two-out RBI single, pushing the lead to three.

Rylee McCoy celebrates her double (Crash Kamon/Softball America)

“I think just we’re ready to go at any point and we all have each other’s backs,” Kedre Luschar said. “One thing about us is we’re going to fight no matter what, and it was really cool to see that tonight, that there was no way we were letting them beat us.”

It only lasted for so long. Lyndsey Grein re-entered in the sixth to end an Ole Miss threat, but the Rebels batted back in the seventh. Ole Miss loaded the bases before recording an out. They brought home a run on a groundball. Mackenzie Pickens sent a ball to the warning track that died just short of a three-run home run. Jamie Mackay stepped up, down to their last out, and kept Ole Miss’ season alive. Mackay lined a two-RBI single in left field to tie the game.

A pair of mistakes by Oregon ended up biting the Ducks back in the first. After Grein struck out Lair Beautae, Oregon catcher Emma Cox had Jaden Pone – who reached on an error – caught in no man’s land between first and second, but Cox hesitated and Pone slid into second safety. Pone then scored on a Percy Llamas two-out RBI single.

Oregon answered right back in the first with the help of Ole Miss’s own error. Kai Luschar reached after the ball popped out of Lansdell’s glove despite making a nice stop initially. Luschar moved over to third after a pair of outs. Paige Sinicki laid down a perfect bunt, leading to a hit, but Luschar stayed at third. Sinicki stole second to put two in scoring position for Dezianna Patmon. As she has had most of this postseason, Patmon delivered. Her single into left field gave Oregon a 2-1 lead.

The Ducks found themselves in a similar position in the third following a Sinicki double. Patmon came back up with two in scoring position. However, this time Lopez controlled the damage. She struck out Patmon with one of her nasty changeups. She ended the ending by getting Jones to pop up.

Grein was able to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, but the Ducks couldn’t put up another zero. Grein hit Pone, who moved to third after a sacrifice bunt and a groundout to the right side. Melyssa Lombardi played the matchups with Llamas, who was coming to the plate again, by bringing in a left-handed pitcher, Staci Chambers. Llamas won out nevertheless, lining a game-tying single into right field.

In the end, Oregon found the last punch. Grein gutted through a career-high 144 pitches to help keep her team’s season alive.

“Lyndsey is just a straight-up competitor on the mound. There’s no way she’s coming out of that game. There’s no way. She’s going to finish it,” Lombardi said. “What I love is that we talk about — at Oregon, we talk about it all starts in the weight room. And the reason why Lyndsey was able to finish that game is because it all starts in the weight room. What she’s done with (Strength and Conditioning Coach Kaelin Jackson) has given her the strength, the endurance she needs to start a game like that and come out and reenter it and finish it and get better as the game went on. She got better as the game went on.”

Oregon will play the loser of Texas and Oklahoma on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU

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