McDuffee retired the final 14 batters of Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Ducks.
EUGENE, Ore. - Redshirt junior Paige McDuffee retired the final 14 batters of Sunday’s game, striking out two in 6 2/3 innings of relief, while freshman Brianna Tautalafua had three hits, including a pair of solo home runs, as the 16th-ranked Bruins claimed this weekend’s series with a 4-1 win over #4 Oregon at Jane Sanders Stadium.
The Bruins (22-11-1, 4-3-1 Pac-12) handed the Ducks (27-6, 7-2 Pac-12) their first Pac-12 series loss since 2013. McDuffee allowed one unearned run, one hit and one walk, getting through her 6 2/3 frames of relief in only 58 pitches. UCLA had 10 hits as a team, with senior Allexis Bennett and sophomore Kylee Perez recording two apiece.
For the third straight game, the Bruins scored first, netting three in the second. Junior Gabrielle Maurice opened the frame with a solo homer to center, her second of the weekend and third of the season, to make it 1-0. Tautalafua then made it back-to-back jacks, hitting one off the scoreboard in right for her second of the weekend and third of the season to increase the lead to 2-0. Later in the inning, the Bruins rallied with two outs. With the bases full, a walk to senior Mysha Sataraka scored freshman Zoe Shaw to make it 3-0.
Oregon got on the board in the third on an unearned run when Danica Mercado scored on an error with two outs. Tautalafua got that run back in the fifth. With one out, she crushed one to left-center for her second of the game, third of the weekend and fourth of the season to make it 4-1.
The Bruins host Stanford at Easton Stadium for a weekend wraparound series, Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 6 p.m. and Monday at 7 p.m. All three games will air on Pac-12 Network.
Another day, another dinger for @UCLASoftball!
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) April 3, 2016
Watch: https://t.co/YfMNDWLu5w https://t.co/obeaX1KdVx
