Oregon
No. 21 Arizona softball’s win over No. 22 Oregon overshadowed by injury to Hanna Delgado
No. 21 Arizona softball was looking for a big win on Friday evening. The Wildcats defeated No. 22 Oregon 7-5, but the win was overshadowed by a frightening injury to Ducks centerfielder Hanna Delgado.
Duck centerfielder Hanna Delgado crashed head-first into the wall trying to make a catch with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Out of precaution, she will be taken to a medical facility to be evaluated.#GoDucks | #Version6
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) April 13, 2024
With Arizona leading 6-2, Tayler Biehl launched the ball into centerfield. Delgado dove, catching the ball before colliding head-first with the outfield wall. The collision caused her to lose the ball, allowing Biehl to reach third, but the bigger concern was that Delgado didn’t get up.
The outfielder stayed down for over 10 minutes as she was tended to and an ambulance came to take her away on a stretcher with her head immobilized. Meanwhile, Arizona and Oregon players gathered in a circle to pray.
“It kind of is a flash of shock to everybody and then at the same time—we have a lot of girls on our team that are really good friends with her—so just a whole lot of worry,” Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe said. “We had a lot of concern, especially when you see the paramedics go out there. But just thinking about her.”
Reports during the game indicated that Delgado was moving when she left. Lowe spoke to Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi during the game.
“Missy sounded like it was positive, so that makes me feel better, but just thinking about her,” Lowe said. “You never want to see that happen in the game, ever. We’re out here playing a fun game that we love with our friends and it should never have to end that way for someone.”
The injury to Delgado was a difficult event to process, but the game continued.
Arizona has shown it can compete with ranked teams. It has even shown it can beat them. The next step is showing that it can win a series against one. The win was a good start.
The Wildcats have been hot offensively during their four-game winning streak on the road. However, those four games were against Utah, which is 4-11 in conference play, and New Mexico State. While Oregon has some questions in the circle where all of its pitchers have a WHIP of 1.22 or higher, it’s still a dangerous team.
Arizona kept the bats going against the Ducks’ staff. They started immediately, loading the bases with one out against Oregon starter Stevie Hansen in the first inning. The Wildcats didn’t score but it was a promising sign of things to come.
As has been the case of late, things really got going during the second time through the Arizona order. Leadoff hitter Dakota Kennedy started it with a double. Two batters later, Carlie Scupin hit her fourth home run in the last six games, this one coming on her birthday.
“Our goal this year has just been to throw the first punch and score first,” Scupin said. “So right there I’m just looking for a pitch that I can drive and see what I can do with it. Think less these days.”
The two-out long ball put Arizona up 2-0. The Wildcats weren’t done yet.
Blaise Biringer drew a two-out walk, bringing up Olivia DiNardo. DiNardo took a 1-0 pitch out of the park for a two-run homer of her own. Arizona had a 4-0 lead after three.
It was also DiNardo’s second straight start behind the plate after spending most of the season as the designated player. While DiNardo said on Mar. 17 that she was having issues with her hamstring, Lowe said it ended up being a nerve issue.
DiNardo caught for three innings before freshman Emily Schepp entered the game behind the plate and DiNardo went back to designated player.
“I’m excited to be working with the pitchers again and just getting back and locked in with them,” DiNardo said. “And Schepp’s doing really well and I think we work really well together.”
Also getting a start was freshman pitcher Brooke Mannon, who last started on Mar. 2 at Alabama and had only pitched 6 2⁄3 innings since then, sometimes on a pitch count.
Mannon gave up just one walk, surrendering no runs and getting one strikeout in her two innings of work. She did not figure in the decision because she was relieved by Aissa Silva in the top of the third inning.
Silva had a 1-2-3 inning in the third before her team’s offense came alive in the bottom of the inning. Her second inning of work was a bit more difficult.
Silva gave up a leadoff double to Delgado for Oregon’s first hit of the game. Ariel Carlson then cut Arizona’s lead in half with a two-run home run.
Silva issued a walk to Alyssa Daniell who moved up on a passed ball. Oregon had another runner in scoring position with no outs. Vallery Wong walked to put two on with no outs, then both runners moved up on a wild pitch.
Arizona’s defense picked up its pitcher with an unusual 9-2-6 double play. Silva got the groundout to end the inning with no more damage.
The Wildcats’ offense responded in the bottom of the inning, which has become a relatively common occurrence lately. Biehl reached on an error and moved up on Jasmine Perezchica’s sacrifice. Biehl then moved to third on a passed ball and was driven in by Regan Shockey’s two-out single.
Shockey got into scoring position when Scupin was hit by a pitch, putting two on for Allie Skaggs. She singled, driving in Shockey, who made another great slide to get in safely. Both Skaggs and pinch runner Paige Dimler moved into scoring position when Oregon went home trying to get Shockey.
Arizona didn’t get any more runs in the bottom of the fourth, but Blaise Biringer’s two-out walk finally drove Oregon’s second pitcher from the game.
Oregon got two on in the top of the fifth, including Delgado. It was her final at-bat of the game before her injury in the bottom of the inning.
After Delgado was taken to a local hospital, the game continued. Perezchica drove in Biehl from third base with a groundout to get another run back. The Wildcats led 7-2 after five innings.
The Ducks struck back in the sixth. Silva got two outs before allowing back-to-back singles to Emma Kauf and Katie Flannery. She then got to a full count against Tehya Bird before Bird launched the ball out of the park for a three-run home run. The lead was down to two when the inning came to an end.
Arizona did what it needed from there out. The seventh started with one of Kennedy’s patented diving catches for the first out. Fellow defensive stars Shockey and Biehl teamed up for the final out, as Shockey got the ball back in quickly after a single to center. Biehl quickly applied the tag on Carlson, who had rounded second and ventured too far to get back. The play was reviewed, but the call was upheld to end the game.
“I think Dakota in the seventh was huge to set that tone because getting the leadoff hitter out,” Lowe said. “I think Regan was—I mean she almost did that twice tonight—just really heads up plays. And then Tayler being ready for that was huge.”
Silva got the win, improving her record to 17-4. She gave up five earned runs on seven hits, three walks, and a hit batter. She struck out one.
The game gave Arizona a 27-12-1 record less than a year after ending 29-25 and missing the postseason for the first time in 35 years. The Wildcats are 8-8 in Pac-12 play.
The Wildcats will try to secure the series on Saturday at 12 p.m. MST.
BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson, after an impressive 2025 season with the Ducks, now becomes the leader at his position following the departure of star Kenyon Sadiq to the NFL.
With an Oregon offense set to return several top stars and bring in two talents at the tight end position, Johnson looks to not only improve as a leader but build off his impressive 2025 season, in which he recorded 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Here’s everything Johnson had to say during his media appearance following Oregon’s scrimmage on Saturday, with the spring game on the horizon.
Everything Tight End Jamari Johnson Said After Spring Scrimmage
What He Learned From Playing With Tight End Kenyon Sadiq:
“So many, but one is training. Everybody in this facility harps on it, and it’s just a standard here. It’s like him from last year, that man strained his guts out almost every play. I just feel like I got to do the exact same thing or even more to uphold the standard.”
Stepping Up At Tight End:
“It just changed because obviously Kenyon leaving somebody has to step up and be a leader in the room, and me being one of the older guys, it just happens to be me. I just accepted that role, and I actually kind of like it, getting these young guys going, getting them in the playbook and getting them used to college football.”
Participating Again In Spring Practice:
“It feels good coming back. Feels like I have something to prove for me personally, I feel like I haven’t really done anything in college football. I feel like this year is that year for me to show everybody what I’m about.”
On Tight Ends Kendre Harrison and Andrew Olesh:
“Both good dudes, they both got that dog in them. Andrew, he came from Penn State. He’s been coming along well, getting in the playbook. Kendre, he’s a big, tall guy, getting in the playbook too. They’ve been getting after it, man. It’s been good taking them under my wing. Hopefully, we just get going this year.”
Goals and Expectations Ahead of Spring Game:
“I’ll say one expectation that we really try to harp on in the room is just going 100 percent. That’s with your effort, that’s with knowing the plays and just giving it your all. A goal is just to get in that endzone. That’s one of the goals for the tight end room right there.”
Why He Returned to Oregon:
“Like I said earlier, to me, I felt like I haven’t really done anything in college football. That was one of the reasons, and another is I wouldn’t say I’m not ready for the NFL, but like that’s pretty much what I’m getting at, is just like I have a lot of stuff to work on that’s within footwork and hand placement, block in the run game, and route details. Getting to the right depth and just touching up everything I can so when I get to the NFL, there’s none of those problems, it’s just the big problems I have to fix.”
How Reps Helped Him Improve:
“It really helped me. Last year, we ran a lot of twelve personnel at the end of the season because we had a couple of injuries, but that really helped me. This year, I feel like I’m coming in rolling off the ground. It’s just so much more fluent, and those reps really helped me with the playbook. Playbook is way easier now, and I’m getting a good feel for it.”
His Leadership Traits:
“I like to get the guys going. I have a real voice on the field, and if y’all hear me on the field, I get the guys going. I wouldn’t say I’m a vocal leader, but I lead by example. Vocal leader, probably something I need to work on.”
On New Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer:
“It’s been different. They’re two different people, coach (Will) Stein and coach Drew. My guy’s getting us going. I’m excited for this season.”
Supporting Dakorien Moore At Track Meet:
“Yesterday, that touched my heart, man. Just all of us going out there, and it wasn’t even just for Dakorien. It was really for Oregon. It was just more for Dakorien because we see him every day. That really touched my heart, and the connection is just unbelievable. I don’t think many people are doing that for their teammates.”
Quarterback Dante Moore’s Growth:
“That guy has his head on his shoulders at all times. He’s been growing consistently, but it’s a couple of different things. I probably can’t name them right now, but he’s been having his head on his shoulders. He’s just been on the climb.”
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
-
Iowa5 minutes agoFormer Iowa State star, All-American Audi Crooks announces transfer destination
-
Kansas11 minutes agoTyler Reddick needs OT at Kansas to claim fifth win of NASCAR season
-
Kentucky17 minutes agoVanderbilt baseball’s series win vs Kentucky revelatory
-
Louisiana23 minutes agoLouisiana shooter Shamar Elkins made chilling remarks about ‘demons’ weeks before killing his 7 kids and their cousin
-
Maine29 minutes agoA remote Maine town is ready to close its 5-student school
-
Maryland35 minutes agoMaryland Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for April 19, 2026
-
Michigan41 minutes agoMichigan Democrats seek to mend old divides at contentious convention
-
Minnesota53 minutes agoUCLA baseball remains perfect in Big Ten by beating Minnesota